Resource-Strengthening Training for Parents of Adolescents with Problematic Gaming (Res@t-P): A Clinical Pilot Study.

Background: Problematic gaming (PG) has become an increasing mental health issue among adolescents during the preceding years. The role of parents and the family environment in the development of PG has been repeatedly emphasized. However, the structured involvement of parents in the therapy is still largely insufficient. Resource-strengthening training for parents of adolescents with PG (Res@t-P) is a new parent-centered 8-week group intervention to fill this substantial gap. The present pilot study aimed to collect first information on its potential effectiveness in improving parental and family factors. Methods: The study was conducted in a clinical setting with N = 43 parents of adolescents with PG, applying a pre- and post-follow-up design. Standardized questionnaires on psychological stress perception, family communication, family functioning, media rules, and adolescent PG symptoms were applied at three measurement points (before, at the end of, and 6 weeks after the training). Conditional growth models were estimated. Results: Over time, an improvement in parental and family aspects as well as a reduction in adolescent PG symptoms could be observed. Conclusions: The results of the present pilot study on the effectiveness of Res@t-P are promising. No causal inferences can be drawn at this stage. A randomized-controlled intervention study is highly warranted.

Applying ICD-11 criteria of Gaming Disorder to identify problematic video streaming in adolescents: Conceptualization of a new clinical phenomenon.

Background and aims: Internet video streaming (VS) has become a popular leisure activity among the majority of adolescents, especially under the COVID-19 pandemic. Research on binge watching patterns in adults suggests an addictive potential of VS. To date, no unified conceptualization on problematic VS and no standardized assessment tools for adolescents exist even though they might be especially vulnerable. Methods: STREDIS-A is based on the ICD-11 criteria of gaming disorder. It was validated in a representative sample of 959 dyads of 10- to 17-year old adolescents with frequent VS and a respective parent using standardized questionnaires on Internet addiction, depressive and anxiety symptoms, insomnia, loneliness, and academic performance in an online survey. Item structure was investigated by factorial analyses. Cutoffs were estimated and latent profile analysis was performed. Results: The two-factorial structure of STREDIS-A describes cognitive-behavioral symptoms and negative consequences of VS. Internal consistency and criterion validity were good to excellent. It could excellently discriminate between affected and non-affected adolescents. Discussion and conclusions: The present study makes a significant contribution to the conceptualization of a new phenomenon. It provides the very first tool to assess streaming disorder in adolescents for clinical and research settings. Clinical validation is highly warranted.

Assessing Problematic Social Media Use in Adolescents by Parental Ratings: Development and Validation of the Social Media Disorder Scale for Parents (SMDS-P).

BACKGROUND: The problematic use of social media (SM) is a rising phenomenon, especially in adolescents. It can be assessed by self-rating screeners such as the Social Media Disorder Scale (SMDS). However, young age or symptom denial might reduce adolescent assessment accuracy. Therefore, the development and validation of a parental scale (SMDS-P) is desirable. METHOD: A representative sample of 961 parents and corresponding frequently SM-using children aged 10 to 17 years participated in an online study. Factorial analyses were performed to determine item structure. Adolescents' SMDS self-reports, SM usage time, emotional dysregulation, and academic performance were used to assess validity. The SMDS-P cut-off value was calculated by ROC-analysis. RESULTS: A one-factorial structure of the SMDS-P could be confirmed. The internal consistency was good (Cronbach's α = 0.85, McDonald's ω = 0.88) and the accordance between parental and self-ratings moderate (kappa = 0.51). SMDS-P was positively associated with adolescents' self-ratings (r = 0.68), SM usage time (r = 0.26) and frequency (ϱ = 0.16) as well as with emotional dysregulation (r = 0.35) in a highly significant manner. CONCLUSIONS: SMDS-P offers a promising new approach to assess problematic SM usage in adolescence. Further studies including clinical validations are required.

Adolescent gaming and social media usage before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: Interim results of a longitudinal study

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns about a potential increase of addictive behaviors. Adolescents are considered particularly vulnerable to a problematic usage of digital applications. For the first systematic investigation of screen time and problematic usage patterns over the course of the pandemic, a pre-pandemic survey on adolescent social media (SM) and gaming use was extended to a longitudinal study. Here we present the results of the first two measurements points (pre-pandemic/under lockdown). Methods: A representative sample of 1,221 adolescents (10–17 years) participated in an online survey in 09/2019, 824 of them in 04/2020. Prevalence rates were measured at baseline with standardized scales covering ICD-11 criteria for problematic usage patterns. These were statistically compared and related to pre- and under-lockdown screen time. Results: Pre-pandemic prevalence rates for pathological SM/gaming were about 3 % each, for at-risk usage 8–10 % including more boys than girls. Usage frequencies and screen times significantly increased under the lockdown. The predictive value of usage patterns for screen time decreased from before to during the lockdown. Changes in screen time could not be predicted by the usage pattern. Discussion: The stability of the observed rates and effects should be further examined over the course of the pandemic. This will lead to relevant implications for prevention measures and the allocation of intervention resources. (English) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Zielsetzung: Ein bedeutsamer Anstieg der Nutzungszeiten digitaler Spiele und sozialer Medien (SM) unter der COVID-19-Pandemie hat Besorgnis über eine mögliche Zunahme assoziierter Verhaltenssüchte ausgelöst. Adoleszente scheinen hierbei besonders gefährdet. Für eine systematische Untersuchung von Nutzungszeiten und problematischen Nutzungsmustern im Verlauf der Pandemie, wurde eine vor dem Ausbruch der Pandemie durchgeführte Erhebung zum Mediennutzungsverhalten unter Jugendlichen zu einer Längsschnittstudie mit drei zusätzlichen Messzeitpunkten erweitert. Das vorliegende Manuskript präsentiert die Ergebnisse der ersten beiden abgeschlossenen Erhebungen zu den Zeitpunkten vor der Pandemie und während des ersten Lockdowns. Methode: Eine repräsentative Stichprobe von 1221 10- bis 17-jährigen Kindern und Jugendlichen in Deutschland nahm an der Baseline-Befragung (09/2019) teil. 824 von ihnen konnten für die Follow-up-Messung (04/2020) gewonnen werden. Zur Schätzung der Prävalenzen riskanter und pathologischer Gaming-/SM-Nutzung nach ICD-11-Kriterien wurden standardisierte Instrumente eingesetzt. Die Nutzungszeiten von Games und SM wurden zu beiden Messzeitpunkten abgefragt, mittels t-tests statistisch verglichen und durch lineare Regressionsanalysen auf Zusammenhänge mit Nutzungsmustern untersucht. Ergebnisse: Zur Baseline erfüllten 10 % der Jugendlichen die Kriterien für riskantes und 2,7 % die Kriterien für pathologisches Gaming. 8,2 % wurden als riskante und 3,2 % als pathologische SM Nutzer klassifiziert. 1,3 % erreichten den Cut-off für beide pathologischen Nutzungsmuster und 5,7 % für ein kombiniertes mindestens riskantes Nutzungsmuster. Jungen zeigten häufiger als Mädchen eine riskante Nutzung von Games und SM sowie pathologisches Gaming. Unter dem Lockdown nahmen die Häufigkeit und die Dauer der Nutzung von Games und SM deutlich zu. Der Vorhersagewert problematischer Nutzungsmuster in Bezug auf Nutzungszeiten nahm vom ersten zum zweiten Messzeitpunkt ab (gaming: R 2vor Pandemie=0.23 to R 2unter lockdown=0.08;SM: R 2vor Pandemie=0.07 to R 2unter lockdown=0.03). Er war in Bezug auf den Anstieg der Nutzungszeiten vernachlässigbar. Schlussfolgerungen: Die COVID-19-Pandemie stellt ein großes Risiko für die physische, aber auch eine große Belastung für die psychische Gesundheit der Gesamtbevölkerung dar. Mit zunehmenden Nutzungszeiten von Games und SM bei Kindern und Jugendlichen steigt potenziell das Risiko für problematische Nutzungsmuster unter der Pandemie. Dieser Zusammenhang ist jedoch mit hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit nicht linear. Die Ergebnisse der nächsten Messzeitpunkte müssen abgewartet werden, um die Stabilität der beobachteten Effekte zu überprüfen und die Prävalenzraten unter der Pandemie einschätzen zu können. Diese werden zu relevanten Implikationen für Maßnahmen der Prävention und Intervention führen. (German) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Sucht is the property of Hogrefe AG and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Validity and Psychometric Properties of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale in Three Large Independent Samples of Children and Adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Problematic gaming has become a major health issue in children and adolescents resulting in the need for targeted valid and reliable screening instruments. This study aimed to explore the psychometric properties and criterion validity of the widely used 9-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale (IGDS) in young gamers. METHODS: Three independent samples were drawn from socio-demographically representative cross-sectional telephone surveys collected in the years 2016 (N = 762), 2017 (N = 777), and 2018 (N = 784) and analyzed separately. RESULTS: The IGDS revealed psychometric properties suitable for screening in large samples. Cronbach's alpha was 0.563, 0.724, and 0.778. The unidimensionality assumption was challenged. At-risk and pathological gamers compared to normal gamers reported longer digital media use and more emotional symptoms and hyperactivity/inattention with clinical relevance to medium effect sizes. The comparison of at-risk and pathological gamers indicated a partial distinction between the two problematic gaming groups. CONCLUSIONS: The IGDS could be shown to be an overall suitable and valid tool to identify pathological gamers in childhood and adolescence according to the DSM-5 criteria on a population level. However, the polythetic structure limits comparability with the recent ICD-11 criteria. At-risk gamers appeared as a heterogeneous group warranting more research.