Predicting Potentially Problematic Video Game Use By Psychological Functioning Variables
In a final step, we entered all of the investigated psychological functioning variables as well as sex and age as predictors of the potentially problematic use of video games. By employing this procedure, we were able to determine the unique contribution of each psychological functioning variable when the influence of all other variables was held constant. As shows, the number of online friends and acquaintances as well as positive affect while playing were most predictive of potentially problematic video game use over and above all other variables. General psychopathology, a lack of offline connections, and poor school performance were weaker but still relevant predictors of potentially problematic video game use.
Video Games By The Numbers
In the United States, a young person will spend 10,000 hours on average playing online games before their 21st birthday. That adds up to almost the same time the average child in the United States spends in middle and high school â 10,080.
Ultimately, children literally spend years of their life online.
Children can be âvirtuoso gamers,â researcher says, citing Daniel Kahnemanâs infamous theory that it takes 10,000 hours of effortful study to master any skill. By proxy, they may also be getting schooled in social resilience.
Effects Of Video Games On Addiction
What is video game addiction?Video game addiction, like alcohol and drug addiction, is an impulse disorder. Gamers rely on their ability to play video games at all times. If they are unable to get their “fix,” they start to experience irritability and aggression. Rather than relying on a substance, gamers rely on the fantasy world that gaming provides to escape their own reality.
What are the types of video game addiction?There are two types of video game addiction. First is the addiction to single-player video games. Gamers get addicted to beating a certain score or completing a specific mission. If they are unable to do so, they become obsessed.
The other type of video game addiction has to do with multi-player games. Gamers addicted to these types of games get lost in their “virtual world.” They find a way to escape their own reality and become one with their online character and the people in it. When forced to leave this fantasy world, the addict can become irritable and/or aggressive.
What are the physical signs of video game addiction?Every gamer will exhibit different symptoms of video game addiction, but some of the most common include:
- Fatigue.
- Lack of caring for oneself.
- Headaches.
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What This Means For You
Have you been playing a lot of video games during the pandemic? That might be time well spent, according to a new report, which found that gaming can help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. These games help foster feelings of social connectedness, a sense of achievement, and emotional regulation skills, among other benefits.
However, playing video games for mental health benefits should not be considered a replacement for traditional therapy, experts say. While costly, conventional mental health services offer support you may not be able to get through a game. Instead, experts say we need to find ways to make traditional therapy more affordable and accessible so more people can get the care they need.
What Is The Relationship Between Gaming Addiction Depression And Anxiety
According to a scientific study, people who are gaming addicts have severe problems with their mental health. They might also suffer from emotional difficulties, and their cognitive functioning may be negatively impacted.
The emotional state most video gaming addicts are in is linked to symptoms of anxiety and depression due to similar feelings experienced by people who have actually been diagnosed with a case of anxiety and depression.
These symptoms suffered by video game addicts are very similar to what youll feel like when youre about to get an anxiety attack or get depressed.
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If youre interested in reading how to deal with video game addiction in children, I wrote an article here.
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Why Are Video Games So Bad For Teenagers
Dr. Gentile suggested that teenagers who are experiencing problems may retreat into gaming, and that the gaming may, in turn, increase their depression and isolation. He says that parents should regulate their childrens use of video games and trust their instincts on what constitutes excessive use,…
The Relationship Between Video Games And Depression: Is It Cause
The answer to the question about the nature of the relationship between video games and depression is unsatisfactory to researchers, mental health professionals, and those with gaming disorder and depression. The nature is unknown, at least for now.
The problem isnt that researchers dont understand the connection. On the contrary, they understand it very well.
Liu and his colleagues , for example, are among those who study the human brain and its functioning in disorders. They found that the same areas of the brain had abnormal functioning in both depression and gaming disorder. The amygdala, prefrontal cortex, gyrus, and the connection between the frontoparietal lobe and the amygdala are disrupted in the same way in addicted gamers and in people with depression.
The problem lies in untangling the connection to see if one causes the other. Currently, its a chicken-and-egg conundrum. Gamers who live with depression may increasingly turn to gaming to escape their symptoms such as negative emotions, thoughts, and moods. Getting lost in gaming may be a sign of a problem in the gamers real-world life, an indication that something is missing.
On the other hand, depression may develop as a result of the gaming lifestyle. Long hours spent without exercise or much movement at all, nutrition and hydration that are often poor, lack of significant interaction with real-world people, and an intense focus on the content of the game can all contribute to the development of depression.
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Research On Video Games And Mental Health
For this report, researchers from Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, looked at earlier studies to see whether commercial video games could fill in existing gaps in mental health treatment, particularly for depression and anxiety.
The research found evidence that video games could help alleviate symptoms of depression, such as the loss of pleasure. The video games Minecraft and Animal Crossing: New Horizons also fostered social connectedness and reduced loneliness.
Factors That Lead To Gambling Addiction
specialists state that compulsive gambling may be result from biological, genetic, and environmental factors, such as:
- age and sex
- family or friends impact
- drugs with rare side-effects .
Other studies add the following triggers to the mentioned above:
- traumatic conditions
- solitude
- other addictions
If not interfered, the problem gambling may cause very serious and lasting effects for individuals’ life:
- relationship related issues
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How Can Young Adults Learn To Cope More Effectively With Their Offline Lives
While video games may provide an escape from stressors in young adults offline lives, they are more effective at helping young adults avoid feelings of anxiety and depression rather than addressing how to overcome them. Many young adults who spend a lot of time online struggle to feel connected offline, leading to failure to launch into independence. Video games may allow them to practice skils like decision-making and budgeting, but they dont always seamlessly transfer in other settings.
Transition programs, like Foundations Asheville, help young adults navigate personal goals and functional living skills in a supportive environment. We understand how technology can be a tool for communication and learning, but recognize that it can have an impact on emotion regulation and social integration. Our goal is to help young adults connect with organizations and activities in the community that give them the opportunity to learn from experiences, rather than staring at a screen. We offer individual and group therapy to help young adults learn healthier coping mechanisms to deal with depression, anxiety, and self-doubt.
How Can Video Game Addiction Affect Health
When video game usage gets out of hand and becomes video game addiction, it means the person playing cant stop even when continued playing causes negative consequences. This level of gaming can impact mental, emotional and physical health in a variety of ways, including:
- Increased risk of obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and high cholesterol from a sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise
- Neglected social skills due to lack of engagement with others outside of an electronic environment
- Problems with concentration and attention due to rapid movements and fast-paced action of video games
- Developmental problems due to avoidance of tasks that promote learning, self-discovery, and personal development
- Seizures and repetitive stress injuries from flickering graphics, lights and colors that may trigger episodes in epilepsy patients
- Increased aggression or violent behavior due to the content of some types of video games
Just like other enjoyable activities like gambling, drinking alcohol, or even eating food can be completely safe when done in moderation, video game playing can be fun, enjoyable and safe when used in healthy doses. Its when the gaming begins to take over ones life that it can lead to harmful consequences and even be diagnosed as gaming disorder.
And many times, the WHO explained, those who are diagnosed with gaming disorder or video game addiction often have a co-occurring mental illness like depression, anxiety, ADHD, or even autism.
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Effect Of Video Games On Mental Health
When we think of the effect of video games on our mental health, we usually only think of the adverse effects. We believe that video games keep us stuck in life, cause anxiety, depression, and create strain in our relationships. While it is true that video games can contribute to these issues, they are not necessarily the cause, nor are their effects limited to the negative.
The Good
Dr. K talks more about what purpose gaming serves for us, and why we get addicted, in this video:
The Bad
Effects Of Video Games On Your Mental Health
When we talk about video games and mental health, you must know that we primarily consider the mental health effects of excessive gaming.
In moderation, playing video games may not have strong negative effects on mental health.
A study by Oxford University shows that gaming in moderation and a controlled environment may improve ones mental well-being.
Some people might find the results of this study surprising, especially considering that many prior studies have linked gaming with negative effects on mental health.
However, one key thing to note here is an isolated study where gamers played the prosocial game Animal Crossing for four hours a day. The truth is that the gaming habits of most addicted gamers are much different. They play other, more addictive games that are also more toxic, and many gamers play for more than four hours a day.
The more you play, the more you may neglect other aspects of your life. And this also means that the more your mental well-being is going to suffer. Furthermore, the negative effects of excessive video gaming on mental health are supported by hundreds of anecdotal stories from our members who have suffered from gaming addiction.
With that in mind, lets take a look at the most common effects of gaming on mental health.
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Video Games And Mental Health: How Gaming Affects Your Mental Health
Video games have been around for more than 30 years. But only in the past 15 years have people started to pay attention to the correlation between video games and mental health.
Excessive gaming is connected to mental health problems such as:
- Depression
- Interpersonal conflict
- Suicidal thoughts
On the other hand, some studies show that video games can improve your mental health if you play in moderation the keyword here is gaming in moderation.
This article analyzes the effects of video games on your mental health and offers suggestions on where you can get help if gaming is impacting your health.
Video Game Addiction Tied To Depression Social Problems And Poorer Grades In School
Video game addiction is a global phenomenon and appears to lead to poorer grades in school and serious psychological problems, including depression, anxiety, and social phobia, said an international team of researchers who followed over 3,000 third through eighth grade students in Singapore and found the percentage of pathological youth gamers there to be similar to other countries.
You can read how Dr Douglas Gentile, an associate professor of psychology at Iowa State University, and five researchers from Singapore and Hong Kong, came to their findings in a study they published online in the 17 January issue of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Gentile and colleagues also found that more hours spent gaming and lower social competence and impulsivity were risk factors for becoming pathological gamers.
For their two-year longitudinal study, they recruited 3,034 elementary and secondary school children in Singapore . The children were attending 12 schools, including five boys schools.
Using standards similar to those established by the American Psychiatric Association for diagnosing gambling addiction, they trained the classroom teachers to survey video game play and behavior between 2007 and 2009. The measures taken included weekly amount of game play, impulsivity, social competence, depression, social phobia, anxiety and school performance.
Gentile also explained that:
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Do Video Games Help With Depression
Many people use video games to cope with depression. This is not necessarily healthy since it is easy to get addicted to video games if you are already depressed. People start playing games because they are a safe place to escape the real world. You can lose yourself in a virtual environment and push away the emotional pain that you experience in real life.
It is common for children and adolescents to start playing games to escape bullies that threaten them in real life and online. They can find people in online communities who do not judge them for being overweight, having acne, or being poor. They feel that people on the internet judge them for who they are as a person, and not the circumstances in their life that they cannot control as a teenager. That is why games are appealing to them, and that is how they use video games to cope with depression.
Data from fMRI scans show that gaming suppresses negative emotions. This is why video games are so effective at helping people cope with depression. They shut off the negative emotion circuitry in your brain, and stop you from feeling sad, ashamed, or lonely.
So Should Parents Be Concerned
These findings are helpful during a year when many kids have no doubt had unprecedented exposure to video games, some of them violent. The most current evidence is telling us that these games are not likely to make our kids more anxious, depressed, aggressive, or violent.
Do parents still need to watch our childrens screen time? Yes, as too much video game play takes kids away from other valuable activities for their social, emotional, and creative development, such as using their imagination and making things that have not been given to them by programmers . Do parents need to be freaking out that our kids trying to find the “imposter” in a game will make them more likely to hit their friends when they are back together in person? Probably not.
We still need to pay attention to mental health symptoms teens appear to be feeling the effects of the pandemic more than adults, and levels of depression and anxiety have reached unprecedented heights.
So lets say the quiet part out loud: if theyre using video games to cope right now, its not the end of the world, and if theyre struggling psychologically, we should not be blaming the games. Normal elements of daily life have been reduced for teenagers during what should be their most expansive years, for what has become an increasingly large percentage of their lives. It is untenable, and even still, teens are showing us what they always dothat they are adaptive and resilient, and natural harm reduction experts.
References
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Limits Of Video Games As A Mood Booster
Video games stop being good for you when you play an excessive amount. More than 10 hours per week is considered âexcessive.â In these cases, you may:
- Have anxious feelings
- Be unable to sleep
- Not want to be in social settings
Another troubling sign is using video games to escape real life. As noted above, this type of behavior can lead to video game addiction, which then leads to other negative behaviors. Too much gaming can become a problem, but in moderation, it can do great things for your mental health.
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You Dont Have To Ban Gaming To Stop Videogame Stress
Can videogames and screen time help kids and families reduce stress and cultivate self-regulation or does screen time inevitably stress us out?
Its a question Ive been wrestling with for years, and especially, the past two days, while attending workshops on Self-Reg. Self-Reg is the science-based approach to helping kids reduce stress-driven behaviors so they can be calm, alert and happy. Your best guide to Self-Reg is Stuart Shankers book, the overview of Self-Reg provided by Dr. Shankers Mehrit Centre, or the terrific introductory graphics on their site.
But let me try a quick recap. Most behavior issues are driven by the limbic system: the part of our brain that kicks in when were alarmed. Parenting and education approaches that emphasize self-control miss the fact that when a kids alarm system goes off, they cant exercise self-control: Shanker refers to this as going limbic or red brain mode. Thats why we need to teach our kids to manage all five domains of stress : so that they can achieve, maintain and return to an underlying state of self-regulation, which Shanker refers to as blue brain.
As parents, its our job to help kids learn to understand and work with their limbic system. Its work that many adults need to do, too: its what my social change and NGO colleagues get from learning about triggers through The Art of Leadership, or from learning about energy management through The Happy, Healthy Nonprofit.
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