ABSTRACT
Video game use, particularly massively-multiplayer online games (MMOs) and massively-multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), has been a focus of considerable research in recent years. However, little is known regarding how mental health workers perceive patients and clients who report playing them. The present study examines whether psychiatrists play MMOs/MMORPGs and how they perceive those who play them. Psychiatrists (N = 48) at a tertiary care centre in Canada completed a questionnaire assessing history of playing video games as well as whether they associate such use with psychopathology. Only 36.7 % believed there was an association between psychopathology and MMO/MMORPG use. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.
Subject(s)
Attitude of Health Personnel , Psychiatry , Role Playing , Video Games/psychology , Adult , Aged , Humans , Middle Aged , PsychopathologyABSTRACT
The literature has seen a surge in research on the mental health impacts of technologies such as Facebook, Twitter and other social media, but little is known regarding how mental health workers perceive patients and clients who report use of such technologies. The present study examines how psychiatrists perceive social media and whether they make use of it. Psychiatrists (N = 48) at a tertiary care centre in Canada completed a questionnaire assessing history of using social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook and Google Plus and status update sites (SUSs) such as Twitter and Livejournal and whether they associate them with psychopathology. 38.5 % have used SNSs and 9.8 % have used SUSs. Only 37 % believed there was an association between psychopathology and SNSs while 33 % believed there was an association between psychopathology and SUSs. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.
Subject(s)
Attitude of Health Personnel , Mental Disorders/physiopathology , Mental Disorders/psychology , Psychiatry , Role Playing , Adult , Age Factors , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Social Media , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
The literature has seen a surge in research on the mental health impacts of technologies such as Facebook, video games, and massively-multiplayer online role-playing games such as World of Warcraft, but little is known regarding the mental health impact of non-video role-playing games, such as Dungeons & Dragons. The present study examines how psychiatrists' perceive role-playing games and whether they play them. Psychiatrists at a tertiary care centre in Canada completed a questionnaire assessing history of playing role-playing games and whether they associate them with psychopathology. Forty-eight psychiatrists responded. Twenty-three percent have played a role-playing game over their lifetimes. Twenty-two percent believed there was an association between psychopathology and role-playing games. A majority of psychiatrists who responded do not associate role-playing games with psychopathology. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.
