1. Different Typologies of Gamers Are Associated with Mental Health: Are Students DOOMed?
- Author
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Turi Reiten Finserås, Børge Sivertsen, Ståle Pallesen, Tony Leino, Rune Aune Mentzoni, and Jens Christoffer Skogen
- Subjects
Behavior, Addictive ,Mental Health ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,Video Games ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Humans ,Female ,engaged gamers ,Internet Gaming Disorder ,mental distress ,life satisfaction ,young adults ,Samfunnsvitenskap: 200::Psykologi: 260 [VDP] ,Students - Abstract
(1) Background: The inclusion of Internet Gaming Disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5) led to a rapid development of assessment instruments based on the suggested diagnosis. However, previous studies suggest that some of the symptoms in the diagnosis reflect engagement in gaming rather than a disorder or addiction. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to investigate mental health associations with different typologies of gamers. (2) Methods: Data stemmed from a large national survey of students (SHoT2022) that was conducted between February and April 2022 (N = 59,544). Participants were categorized into non-gamers, recreational gamers, engaged gamers, problematic gamers, and addicted gamers. Logistic regression models adjusted for age were analyzed with and without gender-stratification for mental distress and life satisfaction as dependent variables across gaming categories. (3) Results: The proportion reporting case-level mental distress was lower for recreational gamers compared to non-gamers, indicating fewer mental health problems for recreational gamers. However, after stratifying the analysis by gender, female recreational gamers had higher levels of mental distress compared to female non-gamers, reflecting Simpson’s paradox. (4) Conclusions: Future studies investigating mental health and gaming should include a gender perspective. publishedVersion
- Published
- 2022