Les « jeux de non-oxygénation » chez les jeunes collégiens français : résultats d’une étude pilote

“Brincadeira do desmaio”: uma nova moda mortal entre crianças e adolescentes. Características psicofisiológicas, comportamentais e epidemiologia dos ‘jogos de asfixia’

“…Other aggravating factors are the early age at which children have been starting to engage in asphyxial behaviors and the lack of information on these types of conduct: nearly 60% of children aged between 7 and 9 have already tried an apneal 'game' 12,44 , of which half (50%) have already induced fainting 44 ; many of these behaviors start early at 4 years of age 12,23 ; and most participants are less aware of the potential risks of asphyxia than those who have never tried these activities 9,12,27,44 . Also notable are the numerous somatic and psychological consequences resulting from the systematic practice of 'asphyxial games' , giv-en that there are cases of dependence in which asphyxia is performed several times every day.…”

“…These asphyxial activities are practiced with the aim of experiencing fleeting euphoric sensations caused by hypoxia (reduced concentration of oxygen in the blood), such as visual and/or auditory hallucinations and bodily synaesthesia (the sensation of floating or falling), a 'sensory seism' 13 resulting from the effects of loss of consciousness caused by fainting 13,14 . These self-asphyxial behaviors were observed in children from a very early age (four years old) to young adults 1,6,12,15 . Among young adults, these behaviors are mostly related to hypoxyphilia -the restriction of oxygen to the brain associated with sexual pleasure 16,17 .…”

“…In a pilot study 12 conducted in three French schools in 2010, we researched 246 students in the 10-14 age range (median age of 11.6), 49% girls and 51% boys. With the use of a self-administered questionnaire, we observed that:…”

“…Considering this fact and after conducting research on 'non-oxygenation games' in a French sample 12 , we decided to study this phenomenon in Brazil. This paper aims to address the characteristics of 'asphyxial games' , warning about the psychophysiological and behavioral effects and the inherent dangers of these risk activities, while also commenting on epidemiological data from different countries.…”