Relationship of Internet gaming disorder symptom severity with non-suicidal self-injury among young adults

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship of Internet gaming disorder (IGD) symptom severity with non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) while controlling the effects of depression, anxiety and neuroticism among young adults. Method: The present study was conducted as a cross-sectional online self-report survey. The data were collected from 1010 volunteer Turkish university students in Ankara, persons who were in the e-mail database of a company located in Istanbul that organizes e-sports tournaments (ESL Turkey Amateur e-sport players), and Turkish gamers from gaming forums. Participants were evaluated by administering the IGD Scale-Short Form (IGDS-SF), the neuroticism dimension of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised-Abbreviated Form, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the Beck Depression Inventory. Results: Age and gender did not differ between participants with NSSI (n=207, 20.5%) and those without NSSI (n=803, 79.5%). IGDS9-SF, depression, anxiety, and neuroticism scores were higher among individuals with NSSI. In logistic regression analysis, severity of IGD predicted the presence of NSSI, together with depression, anxiety, and neuroticism. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the severity of IGD in young adults is related with the presence of NSSI, together with depression, anxiety, and neuroticism. Thus, early detection and treatment of these risk factors is important for reducing selfinjurious behavior in this age group.

Mental Health of Parents and Their Children: A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Parents’ Negative Affect on Adolescents’ Pathological Gaming

“…Mental health factors have a significant impact on adolescents’ pathological gaming [ 6 , 26 ]. Numerous studies have reported mental-related comorbidities in adolescents with pathological gaming, such as aggression [ 16 , 17 ], lack of self-control [ 5 , 16 ], major mental disorders such as depression and anxiety [ 10 , 27 , 28 ], ADHD [ 18 , 29 , 30 ], and so on. In particular, previous studies have indicated that time spent on violent games specifically might be associated with aggressive behavior [ 17 , 31 ].…”

Association between internet gaming disorder and loneliness: the mediating effect of suicidal and self-injurious behavior in adolescents

“…Recent studies have confirmed the association of Internet Gaming Disorder because of experiencing loneliness and overall impairment in functioning in young people's lives (Drageset et al, 2012;McHugh Power et al, 2018;Paulus et al, 2018). The authors consider the presence of experiencing loneliness measures as a measure of IGD symptom severity, with the personality trait of extraversion and low self-esteem accentuating the effect of the disorder (Danneel et al, 2017;Bodinger-deUriarte, 2019 Self-injurious and suicidal behaviors increase with increasing severity of Internet Gaming Disorder symptoms (Dalbudak, 2020;Bada, Clayton, 2020). Self-injurious behavior typically begins in adolescence and involves numerous episodes, and a variety of methods (Bada, Clayton, 2020), and represents the strongest predictor of suicide among adolescents (Zanus et al, 2021;Gainsbury, 2015).…”

“…From the theoretical framework, IGD is positively associated with self-injurious and suicidal behavior (Yu et al, 2022;Guo et al, 2018;Dalbudak, 2020), and is also related to experiencing loneliness (Wang et al, 2022;Matalí et al, 2020;Ok, 2021). Depressive thoughts have been shown to accompany the experience of loneliness (Peerenboom et al, 2015), while also being closely linked to suicidal and selfinjurious behavior (Yu et al, 2022;Guo et al, 2018;Zanus et al, 2021).…”