Should Internet gaming disorder be considered a subtype of generalized problematic internet use? Findings from a study among medical college students.

PURPOSE: The current study aimed to explore whether Internet gaming disorder (IGD) should be considered a subtype of generalised problematic Internet use (PIU) by assessing the degree of overlap between them and comparing their correlates. The sociodemographic profile and presence of depressive symptoms were studied as correlates for IGD and generalised PIU. DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a self-report survey administered online among medical students (n = 306). FINDING: Less than half of the participants with IGD (45.45%; 5 out of 11) also met the criteria for generalised PIU. Only 6.67% (5 out of 75) of subjects with generalised PIU were also classified as having IGD. Male gender and time spent on digital gaming per day were associated with greater risk of IGD; whereas the time spent on Internet per day and more frequent use of the Internet for social networking rather than academic purposes were associated with greater risk of generalised PIU. The regression models built for IGD and generalised PIU were statistically significant (F = 64.10; P < .01 and F = 80.97; P < .01, respectively). The two models explained 66.1% and 57.4% of the variance in IGDS-SF and GPIUS2 scores, respectively. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The IGD and generalised PIU appear to be conceptually distinct entities. The IGD should not be assumed as a subtype of generalised PIU. Thus, health care providers need to focus on IGD beyond and besides generalised PIU. There is a need to specifically enquire about IGD while screening for behavioural addictions involving use of Internet.

Gaming disorder among medical college students from India: Exploring the pattern and correlates.

BACKGROUND: In the extant literature, apart from few published case reports describing patients with severe form of gaming disorder (GD), there is a lack of studies describing the pattern and correlates of GD existing in the Indian settings. Thus, the present study aimed to explore the extent and pattern of gaming behavior in a sample of medical college students from India and explore its association with the sociodemographic, psychological (depressive symptoms), and Internet gaming characteristics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This Internet-based cross-sectional study was conducted as an online survey among 306 medical students by the Behavioral Addictions Clinic at a tertiary care teaching college in India. The severity of problematic gaming behavior and depressive symptoms was assessed using the Internet GD Scale-Short Form (IGDS9-SF) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information regarding sociodemographic and Internet gaming characteristics of the participants. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software version 21.0, with two-tailed P < 0.05 taken as significant and P < 0.01 as highly significant results. RESULTS: We identified 173 (55.6%) current gamers, with 11 (3.6%) Internet GD gamers based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders -5 criteria in the current study sample. A preference for multiplayer online gaming pattern (ß =0.17, P = 0.005), spending greater amount of time in playing digital games (ß = 0.53, P < 0.01), and higher PHQ-9 scores (ß =0.25, P < 0.01**) representing greater depressive symptom severity were associated with statistically significantly greater scores on the IGDS9-SF, indicative of a higher risk for having GD. CONCLUSIONS: GD is a cause of concern among medical students in India. There is an urgent need to create awareness about it among students and concerned authorities. Further, there is a need to develop effective screening and treatment strategies suited for our population. The risk factors identified in the current study can be utilized to screen those at high risk of developing the same.