Gaming Addiction in Children and Adolescents with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Disruptive Behavior Disorders

Abstract

Context: There is a dearth of studies on the risk of gaming addiction (GA) in children and adolescents with disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) and its comorbidity with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods Seventy participants aged 6–16 years diagnosed with ADHD and DBD were included in this cross-sectional, observational study and compared with 40 healthy controls. They were assessed for clinical details of gadget type, duration of use, and purpose on a semi-structured questionnaire. The intensity of video gaming was assessed using Game Addiction Scale (GAS). Behavioral symptoms were assessed on Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Descriptive statistics with t-test, analysis of variance, and Pearson's correlational analysis were used as applicable. Results Use of gadgets for video games for ≥ 4 hours was found to be significantly higher (P = 0.001) in cases (61.5%) than in controls (10%). Most of the cases used Internet for communication (69.4%) and entertainment (58.3%). A significantly higher number of cases (37.1%) fulfilled criteria for video game addiction and the numbers were significantly higher in ADHD + DBD groups as compared to only ADHD or only DBD group. Children with GA had significantly higher scores in all domains of CBCL as compared to those without GA. The GAS score had a significant positive correlation with aggressive behavior, social problems, rule breaking, and attention problem domains of CBCL. Conclusions GA was significantly higher in ADHD and/or DBD than normal children and adolescents. Comorbidity of ADHD and DBD further increases the risk of GA. Therefore, children with these disorders should be screened routinely for GA.