The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to investigate the prevalence of Internet gaming disorder (IGD) among Italian university students and (b) to explore the associations between the former and dissociative phenomena. The sample included 221 college students, 93 males and 128 females, aged between 18 and 25 (M = 21.56; SD = 1.42). They were asked to state their favourite games choice and were administered a demographic questionnaire, the APA symptom checklist based on the diagnostic criteria of IGD in the DSM-5, the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale Short Form (IGD9-SF) and the Italian version of dissociative experience scale for adolescents and young adults. The different game types used are distributed as follows: Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (30%), flash games (26%), multiplayer games (24%), and online gambling (23%). The results of the study showed a high incidence of Internet gaming disorder risk in college students (84.61%). Specifically, our data confirmed the literature on the incidence of the male gender bias among online players (M = 28.034; SD = 2.213). Thirty-three subjects (31 male and 2 female) on 221 (14.9%) matched five or more criteria for clinical diagnosis of IGD. The data showed a positive correlation between Internet gaming disorder risk and some dissociative experiences: depersonalisation and derealisation (AbII/item6 r = .311; DD/item6 r = .322); absorption and imaginative involvement (AbII/item2 r = .319; AbII/item8 r = .403) and passive influence (PI/item3 r = .304; PI/item4 r = .366; PI/item9 r = .386). This study shedded light on psychopathological aspects that preceded the spread of IGD and encourages the implementation of a programmatic plan of preventative interventions by Italian public institutions, to prevent and tame the spreading of such addictive behaviours.

Internet addiction is currently considered a worldwide problem, with a possible impact on mental health. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of internet gaming disorder (IGD) among Italian young adults and to explore its association with psychopathological symptoms. Our sample included 566 young adults (324 males/242 females; age: 22.74 ± 4.83 years). Participants were asked to state their favorite games and complete the following questionnaires: the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale Short Form (IGD9-SF); the APA symptom checklist, based on DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for IGD; the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised (SCL-90 R); and the Social Adaptation Self Evaluation Scale (SASS). Use of video games was common among study participants (95% of the sample). Thirty subjects (5.3% of the sample) matched criteria for a clinical diagnosis of IGD. Data showed a positive correlation between higher use of online games and higher levels of depression (r = 0.501), anxiety (r = 0.361) and psychoticism (r = 0.431), and lower family and extra-family relationships (r = −0.383). At linear regression analysis, somatization (p = 0.002), depression (p = 0.001) and sleep disturbances (p = 0.003) were predictors of IGD diagnosis. IGD was significantly associated to mental health distress. Healthcare professionals should be aware of the problematic consequences of online gaming.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in March 2020, has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people around the world in just a few months, putting at great risk the commitment of healthcare workers unprepared to manage a worldwide phenomenon at great risk. In the early stages especially, medical staff had to deal with the pandemic at the expense of their physical and mental health, putting them particularly at risk for experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study aims to analyze the psychopathological aspects associated with PTSD, focusing on the emotional impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare professionals compared with a control group. The sample analyzed over 2 months, from March to May 2021, included 214 participants into two groups, i.e., healthcare professionals (N = 107) and a control group (N = 107). The online assessment instrument used consisted of an anonymous questionnaire, assembled ad hoc with demographic information and different standardized assessment scales (e.g., Fear of COVID-19 scale, Profile of Mood States, and Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey), while a further section of the survey used the DSM-5 criteria to investigate Posttraumatic stress disorder (e.g., COVID-19—PTSD). The results reported that healthcare professionals had a consistent perception of stress (mean = 26.18, SD = 14.60), but not at a level significantly higher than other categories of workers (mean = 25.75, SD = 14.65; t = 0.20, p = 0.84). However, they showed less emotional disturbance than the control sample, better anxiety management skills, and lower levels of depressive disorder and mental confusion. Specifically, the healthcare professionals showed a condition of emotional exhaustion (T = 0.64, D = 0.74, A = 0.62, S = 0.75, C = 0.64) and depersonalization (T = 0.41, D = 0.52, A = 0.49, S = 0.60, C = 0.40), which is common in the burnout syndrome. In conclusion, the results obtained are useful in understanding the determinants of the emotional involvement of healthcare professions and the risk of burnout syndrome and, therefore, for planning activities and support paths for these workers who are particularly at risk during prolonged and pervasive crises, such as the pandemic.

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Background: When the Internet becomes the only interest in an individual's life and everything else is emptied of importance, the isolation in which the subject closes again produces consequences not only from a psychological but also physical and social point of view. The purpose of this study was: a) to investigate the prevalence of internet gaming disorder (IGD) among Italian young adults, b) to explore the associations between the former and psychopathological symptoms, and c) to explore its consequences in social functioning.Methods: The sample included 566 young adults, 324 males and 242 females, aged between 18 and 35 years (M = 22.74; SD = 4.83). They were asked to state their favourite games choice and were administered a demographic questionnaire, the APA symptom checklist based on the diagnostic criteria of IGD in the DSM-5, the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale Short Form (IGD9-SF), the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised (SCL-90 R) and the Social Adaptation Self Evaluation Scale (SASS).Results: The different game types used are distributed as follows: MMORPG (35.7%), flash games (20.3%), multiplayer games (27%), online gambling (9.9%), other games (6.5% ). The results of the study showed high use of videogames (95% of the sample), but low incidence of Internet Gaming Disorder in young adults. Thirty subjects (20 male and 10 female) on 566 (5.3% of the sample) matched five or more criteria for clinical diagnosis of IGD. The data showed a positive correlation between use of online games (total score IGD9-SF), the higher the levels of depression (r = .501), anxiety (r = .361) and psychoticism (r = .431) and the lower the family and extra-family relationships (r = -.383). The linear regression analysis showed that somatization (p = .002), depression (p = .000) and sleep disturbances (p = .003) are predictive variables of internet gaming disorder.Conclusions: This study highlights the need to make a diagnosis of "online gaming addiction" as "independent disorder" to be included in future categorizations according to DSM-5, compared to other addictive behaviors. BackgroundInternet addiction is currently considered a worldwide problem and in particular addiction to video games is an area that has attracted particular interest in recent years (1,2). According to recent