OBJECTIVESOpen and supportive communication between parents and children is known to reduce adolescents’ delinquent behavior. Recently, the risk of Internet gaming disorder (IGD) has been increasing in adolescents. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating effects of parent-child communication styles on the relationship between adolescent aggressiveness and risk of IGD.METHODSParticipants in this study were 402 first-year students from 4 middle schools in Seoul who enrolled in the Internet user Cohort for Unbiased Recognition of gaming disorder in Early adolescence (iCURE) and completed baseline assessment in 2016. The structural equation model was constructed based on an aggression questionnaire, the Internet game use-elicited symptom screen, a mother-child communication inventory, and a father-child communication inventory.RESULTSAdolescents’ aggressiveness was found to be related to their risk of IGD. The father-child communication style mediated the relationship between aggression and risk of IGD. However, the mother-child communication style had no mediating effect.CONCLUSIONSOur findings suggest that fathers should make an effort to improve open and positive communication skills with their children, because the father-child communication style plays an important role in the relationship between adolescent aggressiveness and risk of IGD.

Objectives Previous studies have reported an association between Internet gaming disorder (IGD) and depression, but the directionality of the relationship remains unclear. Therefore, we examined the reciprocal relationship between level of depressive symptoms and IGD among children in a longitudinal study. Methods Research panels for this study consisted of 366 elementary-school students in the iCURE study. All participants were current Internet users, so they could be considered an at-risk population for IGD. Self-reported severity of IGD features and level of depression were assessed by the Internet Game Use-Elicited Symptom Screen and Children’s Depression Inventory, respectively. Follow-up assessment was completed after 12 months. We fitted cross-lagged structural equation models to investigate the association between the two variables at two time points contemporaneously. Results The cross-lagged analysis revealed that level of depression at baseline significantly predicted severity of IGD features at the 12-month follow-up (β = 0.15, p = .003). Severity of IGD features at baseline also significantly predicted level of depression at the 12-month follow-up (β = 0.11, p = .018), controlling for possible confounding factors. Conclusions The cross-lagged path analysis indicates a reciprocal relationship between severity of IGD features and level of depressive symptoms. Understanding the reciprocal relationship between depressive symptoms and severity of IGD features can assist in interventions to prevent both conditions. These findings provide theoretical support for prevention and remediation plans for IGD and depressive symptoms among children.

Background: This study evaluated whether parent-child attachment and self-esteem may mediate the relationship between parental marital conflict and increases in features of internet gaming disorder (IGD) in children at 1 year. Methods: The baseline and one-year follow-up data for 268 pre-teens aged between 9 and 10 from the Internet User Cohort for Unbiased Recognition of Gaming Disorder in Early Adolescence (iCURE) study were collected. The students were children at low risk for IGD in the initial self-reported assessment, anyone living with both parents, current game user at baseline, and those who completed a 12-month follow-up assessment. The Internet Game Use-Elicited Symptom Screen (IGUESS) was used to identify increases in IGD features at 12 months. To examine a potential mediation effect, structural equation modeling was performed. Results: The direct effect was statistically significant, and parental marital conflict at baseline significantly predicted the increases in IGD features in children at the 12-month follow-up after adjusting for gender, sex, socioeconomic status, and baseline IGUESS score (ß = 0.206, P = 0.003). The indirect effect showed that attachment to fathers through self-esteem was a significant mediating effect (ß = 0.078, P = 0.045). Parental marital conflicts were associated with increases in IGD features in children through poor father-child attachment, and in turn, the lower levels of self-esteem in the children. Conclusions: Parents, especially fathers, should make an effort to bond with their children to reduce the risk of their children's developing the IGD features.

IntroductionIn 2013, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) proposed nine internet gaming disorder (IGD) diagnostic criteria as a condition warranting further empirical and clinical research. The aim of this study is to clarify the natural and clinical courses of IGD proposed DSM-5 in adolescents and to evaluate its risk and protective factors.Methods and analysisThe Internet user Cohort for Unbiased Recognition of gaming disorder in Early Adolescence (iCURE) study is an ongoing multidisciplinary, prospective, longitudinal cohort study conducted in 21 schools in Korea. Participant recruitment commenced in March 2015 with the goal of registering 3000 adolescents. The baseline assessment included surveys on emotional, social and environmental characteristics. A parent or guardian completed questionnaires and a structured psychiatric comorbidity diagnostic interview regarding their children. Adolescents with the Internet Game Use-Elicited Symptom Screen total scores of 6 or higher were asked to participate in the clinical diagnostic interview. Two subcohorts of adolescents were constructed: a representative subcohort and a clinical evaluation subcohort. The representative subcohort comprises a randomly selected 10% of the iCURE to investigate the clinical course of IGD based on clinical diagnosis and to estimate the false negative rate. The clinical evaluation subcohort comprised participants meeting three or more of the nine IGD criteria, determined by clinical diagnostic interview, to show the clinical course of IGD. Follow-up data will be collected annually for the 3 years following the baseline assessments. The primary endpoint is 2-year incidence, remission and recurrence rates of IGD. Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between exposures and outcomes as well as mediation factors will be evaluated.Ethics and disseminationThis study is approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Catholic University of Korea. Results will be published in peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration numberClinicalTrials.gov (identifier: NCT02415322).

OBJECTIVES:This study examined the association between high risk of Internet gaming disorder (IGD) and online game genres used by adolescents.METHODS: The data derived from the baseline data of the Internet user Cohort for Unbiased Recognition of gaming disorder in Early Adolescence. A total 1,532 middle school students who use online games included. The participants reported the names of the online games they used during the past year. Game genres were categorized into role playing games (RPGs), shooting, multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), simulation, arcade, sports and action games. The risk of IGD was measured using the Internet Gaming Use-Elicited symptom Screen. The relationship between the experience of online game genre and high risk of IGD was analyzed using multiple logistic regression model.RESULTS: The game time of a student was longer if he or she had an experience of RPGs, shooting games, MOBA games, simulation games, and action games. The direct and independent association between high risk of IGD in adolescents and the genres of RPGs, simulation games and MOBA were found to be odds ratios 1.52 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03 to 2.26); 1.59 (95% CI, 1.03 to 2.45); and 1.51 (95% CI, 1.03 to 2.21), respectively after adjusted the potential confounding variables and the use of other online game genres.CONCLUSIONS: The present cross-sectional study has found an association between online game genres and the risk of IGD in adolescents attending a school. A cohort study should verify the causal association in future.