Interpersonal dependency and online gaming addiction

Background and aims The present study explores the relationship between social motivations and addiction to online gaming and if that possible connection can be explained by the personality traits responsible for social functioning. Methods We employ Bernstein’s concept of interpersonal dependency to distinguish healthy dependency, dysfunctional detachment, and destructive overdependence, and Charlton and Danforth’s conceptualisation of online gaming addiction and high engagement. An online questionnaire was administered to a self-nominated sample of 4,074 online gamers. Two regression models were constructed to separately explain gaming addiction and high engagement using social motivations to play, while controlling for age, gender, and time spent online. Results High scores on subscales measuring dysfunctional detachment and destructive overdependence were positively associated with online gaming addiction, while healthy dependency was negatively correlated with addiction scores. In contrast, the overall role of social motivation was negligible. Discussion People with healthy relationship profiles are less likely to develop problematic patterns of online gaming. High in-game engagement, although sharing some factors with addiction, was only poorly explained by the study variables, suggesting the mutual exclusiveness of addiction and engagement

Old and new media in everyday life of Czech audiences. (Research report.)

The report concludes descriptive findings of survey in Czech media audiences. The data from 1998 respondents was collected in October and December 2014 by Median; the collection employed quota sampling and computer-assisted personal interviewing. Besides the standard socio-demographic indicators, the questionnaire included questions regarding the full range of possible media-related practices including obtaining and reception of films, TV series and other TV content, news, sports, music, books, magazines and spoken word; online activities and use of social networking sites; playing computer- and videogames; ownership of media and computer technologies and access to the Internet; respondents' political and public activities. The report is published in Czech and English version

Gaming under the influence: An exploratory study

Background and aims Association between substance use and excessive play of online games exists both in theory and research. However, no study to date examined playing online games under the influence of licit and illicit drugs. Methods We questioned a convenient online sample of 3,952 Czech online gamers on their experiences and motives of using caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, psychoactive pharmaceuticals, and illicit drugs while playing massive multiplayer online games (MMOGs). Results The results showed low prevalence of illicit drug use while playing online games. Substance use was positively associated with intensity of gaming and both addiction and engagement; psychoactive substances with stimulating effect were linked to higher engagement and gaming intensity, whereas use of sedatives was associated with higher addiction score. Substance use varied slightly with the preference of game genre. Discussion Drug use while playing appears as behavior, which is mostly not related to gaming – it concerns mostly caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, or cannabis. For some users, however, drug use was fueled by motivations toward improving their cognitive enhancement and gaming performance

Dysfunctional impulsivity in online gaming addiction and engagement

Impulsivity has been shown to be related to both substance- and non-substance addictions. In the case of internet gaming addiction, on one hand, higher impulsivity and sensation seeking have been reported in problematic online gamers. On the other hand, problematic online gamers were also identified as introverted, socially anxious, and generally inhibited in behaviour. Our study investigates the role of dysfunctional impulsivity in gaming addiction. A sample of 1,510 Czech and Slovak online gamers completed a questionnaire that was advertised online and targeted the core of the gaming community. Internet gaming addiction was measured using the Addiction-Engagement Questionnaire (Charlton & Danforth, 2010). Dysfunctional impulsivity was measured using the 11 items of Dickman’s (1990) sub-scale of the Impulsivity Inventory. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated for variables and a regression model was constructed using hierarchical linear regression to determine the association between online gaming addiction and dysfunctional impulsivity, while controlling for age, gender, and the frequency of online gaming. A set of chi-square tests was employed to compare the patterns of addiction criteria among highly impulsive addicted gamers and non-impulsive addicted gamers. Although dysfunctional impulsivity was a good predictor of gaming addiction (β = .252), it actually explained only about 7% of the addiction variance. Problematic gamers high on impulsivity had similar patterns of addiction criteria as non-impulsive gamers, with only one exception – they had a significantly higher tendency to relapse. There was no role of impulsivity in gaming engagement. The results suggest that dysfunctional impulsivity is a risk factor for online gaming addiction (similar to other addictions), but it does not have prominent explanatory value in itself. Also, the results show that problematic gamers high on impulsivity are more prone to relapse and reinstatement

Stará a nová média v každodennosti českých publik (výzkumná zpráva)

Výzkumná zpráva shrnuje deskriptivní zjištění kvantitativního šetření českých mediálních publik. Sběr dat, který formou CAPI zajistila společnost Median, proběhl v říjnu a listopadu 2014 a zahrnul 1998 respondentů starších 18 let. Dotazník vedle standardních sociodemografických ukazatelů pokryl pokud možno úplné spektrum praxí zahrnujících příjem, konzumaci a sdílení filmů, seriálů, pravodajství, hudby, knih a časopisů, mluveného slova a sportovních obsahů; online aktivity a užívání online sociálních sítí; hraní počítačových her a videoher; vlastnění mediálních technologií a přístup k internetu; indikátory politické a veřejné aktivity respondentů. Zpráva je publikována současně v české a anglické verzi.The report concludes descriptive findings of survey in Czech media audiences. The data from 1998 respondents was collected in October and December 2014 by Median; the collection employed quota sampling and computer-assisted personal interviewing. Besides the standard socio-demographic indicators, the questionnaire included questions regarding the full range of possible media-related practices including obtaining and reception of films, TV series and other TV content, news, sports, music, books, magazines and spoken word; online activities and use of social networking sites; playing computer- and videogames; ownership of media and computer technologies and access to the Internet; respondents' political and public activities. The report is published in Czech and English version