Differential Effects of Anxiety on Internet Gaming Disorder: A Large-Scale Cross-Sectional Survey
BackgroundInternet gaming disorder (IGD) has become a serious public health problem in East Asia, and studies have reported IGD to be significantly associated with anxiety, but no causal relationship between the two has yet been demonstrated. Children are at high risk of developing IGD, however, pre...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-01-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.802513/full |
| _version_ | 1811295492774035456 |
|---|---|
| author | Xia Huang Xia Huang Hong-xia Shi Hui-qin Li Hui-qin Li Wan-jun Guo Dan Luo Jia-jun Xu |
| author_facet | Xia Huang Xia Huang Hong-xia Shi Hui-qin Li Hui-qin Li Wan-jun Guo Dan Luo Jia-jun Xu |
| author_sort | Xia Huang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundInternet gaming disorder (IGD) has become a serious public health problem in East Asia, and studies have reported IGD to be significantly associated with anxiety, but no causal relationship between the two has yet been demonstrated. Children are at high risk of developing IGD, however, previous studies have principally focused on the condition in adults and adolescents and reported non-clinical samples. A large-scale survey is needed to research and evaluate IGD and anxiety in children and adolescents to understand the current situation of IGD in children and explore the impact of IGD on anxiety.MethodsA cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire was conducted between March 1 and July 31, 2021. A total of 10,479 school children and adolescents in the western provinces of China were selected by convenience sampling. A questionnaire was used to collect data anonymously. The questionnaire covered IGD and the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS). Welch's ANOVA Test and Games-Howell test were used to test for differences in anxiety levels between IGD groups. Poisson regression analysis was used to further investigate the key predictors of IGD.Results3.2% of participants (n = 334) (95% CI: 2.9–3.2%) were classified as at high risk of presenting with IGD, 71.1% (n = 7,454) (95% CI: 70.3–72.0%) were classified as low-risk players, and 25.7% (n = 2,691) (95% CI: 24.9–26.5%) were classified as non-gaming. The average RCMAS score was (7.18 ± 7.534). The high-risk group had a higher total score RCMAS, as well as scoring higher in its three dimensions. Regression analysis using gender, age, and total RCMAS score as independent variables, and risk of IGD as a dependent variable showed that the odds ratio (OR) for gender was 2.864 (95% CI: 2.267–3.618), and the OR for total RCMAS score was 1.101 (95% CI: 1.087–1.114). The OR for age was not statistically significant.ConclusionAnxiety was a predictor of IGD, with statistically significant group differences in total anxiety, as well as the dimensions of physiological anxiety, social correlation, and sensitivity. The timely assessment of anxiety in children and adolescents, training social skills, and facilitating effective integration into society could be effective ways of reducing the incidence and impact of IGD. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T05:34:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b5f5b338b40e4331bfcdcc6baaa2533d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T05:34:13Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-b5f5b338b40e4331bfcdcc6baaa2533d2022-12-22T03:00:21ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402022-01-011210.3389/fpsyt.2021.802513802513Differential Effects of Anxiety on Internet Gaming Disorder: A Large-Scale Cross-Sectional SurveyXia Huang0Xia Huang1Hong-xia Shi2Hui-qin Li3Hui-qin Li4Wan-jun Guo5Dan Luo6Jia-jun Xu7West China School of Nursing, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, ChinaMental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, ChinaDepartment of Pharmacy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, ChinaWest China School of Nursing, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, ChinaMental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, ChinaMental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, ChinaMental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, ChinaMental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, ChinaBackgroundInternet gaming disorder (IGD) has become a serious public health problem in East Asia, and studies have reported IGD to be significantly associated with anxiety, but no causal relationship between the two has yet been demonstrated. Children are at high risk of developing IGD, however, previous studies have principally focused on the condition in adults and adolescents and reported non-clinical samples. A large-scale survey is needed to research and evaluate IGD and anxiety in children and adolescents to understand the current situation of IGD in children and explore the impact of IGD on anxiety.MethodsA cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire was conducted between March 1 and July 31, 2021. A total of 10,479 school children and adolescents in the western provinces of China were selected by convenience sampling. A questionnaire was used to collect data anonymously. The questionnaire covered IGD and the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS). Welch's ANOVA Test and Games-Howell test were used to test for differences in anxiety levels between IGD groups. Poisson regression analysis was used to further investigate the key predictors of IGD.Results3.2% of participants (n = 334) (95% CI: 2.9–3.2%) were classified as at high risk of presenting with IGD, 71.1% (n = 7,454) (95% CI: 70.3–72.0%) were classified as low-risk players, and 25.7% (n = 2,691) (95% CI: 24.9–26.5%) were classified as non-gaming. The average RCMAS score was (7.18 ± 7.534). The high-risk group had a higher total score RCMAS, as well as scoring higher in its three dimensions. Regression analysis using gender, age, and total RCMAS score as independent variables, and risk of IGD as a dependent variable showed that the odds ratio (OR) for gender was 2.864 (95% CI: 2.267–3.618), and the OR for total RCMAS score was 1.101 (95% CI: 1.087–1.114). The OR for age was not statistically significant.ConclusionAnxiety was a predictor of IGD, with statistically significant group differences in total anxiety, as well as the dimensions of physiological anxiety, social correlation, and sensitivity. The timely assessment of anxiety in children and adolescents, training social skills, and facilitating effective integration into society could be effective ways of reducing the incidence and impact of IGD.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.802513/fullcross-sectional surveyinternet gaming disorderanxietyaddictive behaviorIgD |
| spellingShingle | Xia Huang Xia Huang Hong-xia Shi Hui-qin Li Hui-qin Li Wan-jun Guo Dan Luo Jia-jun Xu Differential Effects of Anxiety on Internet Gaming Disorder: A Large-Scale Cross-Sectional Survey Frontiers in Psychiatry cross-sectional survey internet gaming disorder anxiety addictive behavior IgD |
| title | Differential Effects of Anxiety on Internet Gaming Disorder: A Large-Scale Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_full | Differential Effects of Anxiety on Internet Gaming Disorder: A Large-Scale Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_fullStr | Differential Effects of Anxiety on Internet Gaming Disorder: A Large-Scale Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_full_unstemmed | Differential Effects of Anxiety on Internet Gaming Disorder: A Large-Scale Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_short | Differential Effects of Anxiety on Internet Gaming Disorder: A Large-Scale Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_sort | differential effects of anxiety on internet gaming disorder a large scale cross sectional survey |
| topic | cross-sectional survey internet gaming disorder anxiety addictive behavior IgD |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.802513/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT xiahuang differentialeffectsofanxietyoninternetgamingdisorderalargescalecrosssectionalsurvey AT xiahuang differentialeffectsofanxietyoninternetgamingdisorderalargescalecrosssectionalsurvey AT hongxiashi differentialeffectsofanxietyoninternetgamingdisorderalargescalecrosssectionalsurvey AT huiqinli differentialeffectsofanxietyoninternetgamingdisorderalargescalecrosssectionalsurvey AT huiqinli differentialeffectsofanxietyoninternetgamingdisorderalargescalecrosssectionalsurvey AT wanjunguo differentialeffectsofanxietyoninternetgamingdisorderalargescalecrosssectionalsurvey AT danluo differentialeffectsofanxietyoninternetgamingdisorderalargescalecrosssectionalsurvey AT jiajunxu differentialeffectsofanxietyoninternetgamingdisorderalargescalecrosssectionalsurvey |