Phenomenological analysis of maladaptive daydreaming associated with internet gaming addiction: a case report

Abstract

Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is an immersive fantasy activity that leads to distress and socio-occupational dysfunction. MD has many features suggestive of behavioural addiction, but research exploring the phenomenology of this clinical construct is limited. MD has also been purported to be a maladaptive strategy to cope with distress, but often leads to uncontrollable absorption in fantasy world, social withdrawal and neglected aspects of everyday life. In this paper, we report the case of a 16-year-old boy who developed internet gaming disorder and MD after experiencing cyberbullying from his peers. The patient engaged in vivid, fanciful imagery that lasted for hours, leading to social dysfunction and academic deterioration. Baseline assessment revealed a Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale-16 score of 65 (cut-off 50) and an Internet Gaming Test-20 score of 86 (cut-off 71). The patient was managed primarily with psychological intervention. The therapy focused on behaviour modification and cognitive restructuring. Patients in clinical setting should be questioned about MD when presenting with excessive use of technology or other forms of behavioural addictions. Further studies are necessary to determine the biopsychosocial factors of MD and its correlates. There is also a need to study treatment and management approaches for treating MD.

The concept of recovery in gaming disorder: A scoping review

“…The eight remaining studies employed a qualitative case study design ( Cuppone et al., 2021 ; Li et al., 2018 ; Niedermoser et al., 2021 ; Riley et al., 2022 ; Sachdeva & Verma., 2015 ; Sharma & Mahapatra., 2021 ; Siste et al., 2020 ; Torres-Rodríguez, Griffiths, Carbonell, Farriols-Hernando, & Torres-Jimenez, 2019 ) in which they presented in-depth, detailed, prolonged, and individualized examinations of the course of GD.…”

Exploring the association between Twitch use and well-being.

“…Although mental health symptoms (e.g., depression and anxiety) are commonly investigated in relation to problematic Internet use (Bisen & Deshpande, 2018), maladaptive daydreaming, and the need to belong are rarely considered correlates of problematic technology use. However, maladaptive daydreaming shares some core features with behavioral addictions (see Somer, 2002) and has been associated with problematic Internet use (Zsila et al, 2018) and gaming disorder (Sharma & Mahapatra, 2021). The present study also found evidence for the positive association between maladaptive daydreaming and problematic Twitch use, suggesting that individuals with excessive daydreaming activity may be more prone to behavioral addictions.…”

“…Another potential correlation could be maladaptive daydreaming, which involves excessive fantasizing, an activity that shares some common features with behavioral addictions (e.g., loss of control; Somer, 2002). Maladaptive daydreaming has been associated with problematic Internet use (Zsila et al, 2018) and gaming disorder (Sharma & Mahapatra, 2021). Moreover, excessive daydreaming was associated with disorders and problem behaviors on the impulsive–compulsive spectrum such as emotion regulation difficulties and prolonged immersion in rewarding activities, which are precursors of addictive use (Estévez et al, 2017; Koronczai et al, 2019).…”

Daydreaming as spontaneous immersive imagination: A phenomenological analysis

“…"Maladaptive daydreaming" or "excessive daydreaming" is an increasingly recognized psychological phenomenon (Marcusson-Clavertz et al, 2019;Pietkiewicz et al, n.d.;Sharma & Mahapatra, 2021;Soffer-Dudek & Theodor-Katz, 2022;Somer et al, 2016 Oct-Dec). The term was first defined as "extensive fantasy activity that replaces human interaction and/or interferes with academic, interpersonal, or vocational functioning" (Somer, 2002).…”