Risk Factors for Excessive Social Media Use Differ from Those of Gambling and Gaming in Finnish Youth

Purpose: Adolescents' excessive social media use has characteristics similar to other addictive behaviours. This study aims to explore whether the same risk factors are associated with excessive social media use as with excessive gaming and gambling among Finnish adolescents. Methods: Multinomial logistic regression analyses were carried out using the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs data, collected from Finnish adolescents aged 15-16 in 2019 (n = 4595). Results: Excessive use of social media was more common among girls (reported by 46% of respondents) than boys of the same age (28%), whereas boys reported both excessive gaming (23%) and gambling (6%) more often than girls (4% and 1%, respectively). All differences between genders were statistically significant (p < 0.0001). Daily smoking was associated with a high risk of excessive gambling (AOR = 3.23) and low risk of excessive gaming (AOR = 0.27) but had no significant effect on excessive social media use. Cannabis use in the past 12 months was positively associated only with excessive gambling (AOR = 2.39), while past 12 months alcohol consumption increased the risk for excessive social media use (AOR = 1.25). Conclusions: Adolescent girls are at greater risk of excessive social media use than boys, while boys are at greater risk of excessive gaming and gambling. The associations with known risk factors are somewhat different for excessive use of social media as compared to excessive gambling and gaming and should be acknowledged when developing preventive measures for adolescents.Peer reviewe

Problematic gaming behaviour and health-related outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the interplay between problematic gaming behaviour and health-related outcomes at different developmental stages. A total of 50 empirical studies met the specified inclusion criteria, and a meta-analysis using correlation coefficients was used for the studies that reported adverse health implications regarding the impact of problematic gaming behaviour on depression, anxiety, obsessive–compulsive disorder and somatisation. Overall, the results suggested that problematic gaming behaviour is significantly associated with a wide range of detrimental health-related outcomes. Finally, the limitations of this review alongside its implications were discussed and considered for future research

Measurement invariance of the short version of the problematic mobile phone use questionnaire (PMPUQ-SV) across eight languages

The prevalence of mobile phone use across the world has increased greatly over the past two decades. Problematic Mobile Phone Use (PMPU) has been studied in relation to public health and comprises various behaviours, including dangerous, prohibited, and dependent use. These types of problematic mobile phone behaviours are typically assessed with the short version of the Problematic Mobile Phone Use Questionnaire (PMPUQ-SV). However, to date, no study has ever examined the degree to which the PMPU scale assesses the same construct across different languages. The aims of the present study were to (i) determine an optimal factor structure for the PMPUQ-SV among university populations using eight versions of the scale (i.e., French, German, Hungarian, English, Finnish, Italian, Polish, and Spanish); and (ii) simultaneously examine the measurement invariance (MI) of the PMPUQ-SV across all languages. The whole study sample comprised 3038 participants. Descriptive statistics, correlations, and Cronbach's alpha coefficients were extracted from the demographic and PMPUQ-SV items. Individual and multigroup confirmatory factor analyses alongside MI analyses were conducted. Results showed a similar pattern of PMPU across the translated scales. A three-factor model of the PMPUQ-SV fitted the data well and presented with good psychometric properties. Six languages were validated independently, and five were compared via measurement invariance for future cross-cultural comparisons. The present paper contributes to the assessment of problematic mobile phone use because it is the first study to provide a cross-cultural psychometric analysis of the PMPUQ-SV

Hyvinvointia virtuaalisen elämän kautta

Virtuaalimaailmoilla tarkoitetaan kaksi- tai kolmiulotteisella grafiikalla visualisoitua keinotekoista, internet-pohjaista ympäristöä. Virtuaalimaailmoissa voi olla samanaikaisesti tuhansia käyttäjiä. Kutakin osallistujaa edustaa käyttäjän valitsema simuloitu hahmo. Yksi tunnetuimmista virtuaalimaailmoista on Second Life. Virtuaalimaailmojen kautta on mahdollista perehtyä laajasti ihmiselämän alueisiin, kuten tieteisiin, opiskeluun ja viihteeseen. Artikkelissa kuvataan virtuaalimaailmojen toiminnallisuutta sekä niiden hyötykäyttöä esimerkein hyvinvoinnin edistämisen ja lääketieteen sovelluksena

Oppia ja huvia digitaalisista hyvinvointipeleistä

Digitaalisia hyvinvointipelejä on käytetty laajasti arkisesta huvikäytöstä opetuksellisiin tarkoituksiin ja niiden avulla on etsitty ratkaisuja monenlaisiin terveysongelmiin. Oulun seudun ammattikorkeakoulun Sosiaali- ja terveysalan yksikössä on valmisteltu tutkimus- ja kehityshanketta, jonka tarkoituksena on edistää digitaalisten pelien hyötykäyttöä nuorten hyvinvoinnin edistämisessä. Artikkelissa kuvataan hyvinvointia edistävien digitaalisten pelien (Health e-games) –käsitettä sekä tarkastellaan tutkimusesimerkein näiden pelien hyötykäyttömahdollisuuksia

Problematic gaming behavior among adolescents and young adults:relationship between gaming behavior and health

Abstract The aim of the study was to describe and explain the problematic gaming behavior and the relationship between the digital gaming behavior (gaming time, medium, genres and motives), health (psychological, social and physical) and problematic gaming behavior among young people aged from 13 to 24 years. Information received can be used for developing practices to identify individuals with problematic gaming behavior, promote their lifestyle change and subsequently to increase knowledge of the nature of the condition within healthcare education. In this study, digital games means electronic games that can be played through console, computer, network and mobile devices. In the first sub-study, a systematic literature review with synthesis from previous empirical studies (n = 50) about the health outcomes related to problematic gaming behavior was conducted. In the second sub-study, cross-sectional and national survey design with a randomly selected sample (N = 3 000) was used to identify problematic gaming behavior and to examine its associations with the digital gaming behavior (gaming time, genres and motives) and health (psychological, social and physical) among Finnish adolescents and young adults (n = 293). In the third sub-study, a descriptive, regional cross-sectional study was conducted to examine adolescents’ (n = 560) digital gaming behavior and its relationship to problematic gaming behavior symptoms. The data from empirical studies two and three were collected by using an internet-based survey. Statistical methods were used to analyse the data. The findings of the systematic review and empirical study showed that problematic gaming behavior was especially related to adverse psychosocial health outcomes, namely, anxiety, depression and a preference for online social interaction. Problematic gaming behavior was also linked to the use of a cluster of games-characterized features of role playing, action, progression and strategy. Moreover, the gaming motives, such as entertainment achievement, social and escapism, correlated significantly to problematic gaming behavior. Among the sample of adolescents, the blended family structure might predict problematic gaming behavior symptoms. The study significantly added understanding of gaming and health characteristics in the role of problematic gaming behavior among young people. The findings may help to advance in the areas of screening and counselling for PGB.Tiivistelmä Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli kuvata ja selittää 13–24-vuotiaiden nuorten ongelmallisen digipelaamiskäyttäytymisen yhteyksiä psyykkiseen, sosiaaliseen ja fyysiseen terveyteen. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli tuottaa uutta tietoa ongelmallisesta digipelaamisesta, helpottaa ilmiön tunnistamista ja edistää terveyskasvatusta. Digipeleillä tarkoitetaan tässä tutkimuksessa tietokone-, konsoli-, verkko- ja mobiililaitteilla pelattavia pelejä. Ensimmäisessä osatutkimuksessa arvioitiin ja tiivistettiin systemaattisen kirjallisuuskatsauksen avulla tämän hetkinen tutkimustieto (n = 50) ongelmallisen digipelaamisen ja terveyden välisistä yhteyksistä. Toisessa osatutkimuksessa tutkittiin ositettuna satunnaisotantana (N = 3 000) kerätyn aineiston avulla suomalaisten nuorten (n = 293) digipelaamista, ongelmallisen digipelaamisen esiintyvyyttä sekä ongelmallisen digipelaamisen yhteyksiä nuorten pelaamiskäyttäytymiseen ja terveyteen. Kolmannessa osatutkimuksessa kuvattiin alueellisen poikkileikkaustutkimuksen avulla nuorten (n = 560) digipelaamiskäyttäytymistä ja sen yhteyksiä ongelmalliseen digipelaamiseen. Empiiristen osatutkimusten aineisto kerättiin verkkopohjaisen kyselyn avulla, ja saatu aineisto analysoitiin tilastollisilla menetelmillä. Katsauksen ja empiirisen tutkimuksen tulokset osoittivat, että ongelmallinen digipelaaminen oli erityisesti yhteydessä psykologisiin ja sosiaalisiin oireisiin, kuten masennukseen ja ahdistukseen, sekä korostuneeseen mieltymykseen olla vuorovaikutuksessa verkkoympäristön välityksellä. Ongelmallisen digipelaamisen riski-ryhmään kuuluneet henkilöt suosivat digipelityyppejä, jotka sisälsivät rooli-, toiminta- ja strategiapelaamisen ominaisuuksia. Digipelaamisen motiiveista edistymispyrkimys, sosiaalisuus ja todellisuuspako olivat yhteydessä ongelmalliseen digipelaamiseen. Nuorilla uusioperhetilanne saattoi lisätä ongelmallisen pelaa-misen oireita. Tutkimus lisäsi tietoperustaa nuorten ongelmallisesta digipelaamisesta, pelaamiskäyttäytymisestä ja terveysominaisuuksien merkityksestä. Tuloksia voidaan hyödyntää ongelmallisen digipelaamisen seulonnan ja ilmiöön liittyvän ohjauksen kehittämisessä

Problematic digital gaming behavior and its relation to the psychological, social and physical health of Finnish adolescents and young adults

Aim: The aim of this study was to identify problematic gaming behavior among Finnish adolescents and young adults, and evaluate its connection to a variety of psychological, social, and physical health. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with a random sample of 293 respondents aged from 13 to 24 years. Participants completed an online survey. Problematic gaming behavior was measured with the Game Addiction Scale (GAS). Self-reports covered health measures such as psychophysical (symptoms, satisfaction with life), social (preferences for social interaction), and physical health (general health, Body Mass Index (BMI), body discomforts, physical activity). Results: Problematic gaming behavior was found to relate to psychological health problems, namely fatigue, sleep interference, depression and anxiety symptoms. Multiple linear regression indicated that the amount of weekly gaming, depression and a preference for online social interaction predicted increased problematic gaming symptoms. Conclusion: This research emphasized that problematic gaming behavior had a strong negative correlation to a variety of subjective health outcomes