Correlates of internet gaming among violent and nonviolent gamers and comparison of their psychological well-being with nongamers in a university student population

• Published in: Indian journal of psychiatry 2022-01, Vol.64 (1), p.98-101
• Main Authors: Ansari, Maliha, Patel, Nisheet, Mahida, Ankur, Phatak, Ajay, Prabhakaran, Anusha, Varma, Jagdish
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis; Brief Communication; College students; Gambling; Gamers; Immunoglobulin D; Internet; Internet access; Nonviolence; Psychological aspects; Surveys; University students; Well being; Young adults
• ISSN: 0019-5545; 1998-3794
• DOI: 10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_1208_20

Background: India's population has seen increasing access to the Internet and gaming mainly in adolescents and young adults. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence and correlates of Internet gaming and its effects on the psychological well-being of gamers versus nongamers. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional survey was done to enroll a convenient sample of nongamers, violent gamers, and nonviolent gamers. Measures included Psychological general well-being scale-short (PGWB-S), Internet Gaming Disorder-Short Form-9 (IGDS9-SF), name, frequency, and duration of game use. Results: The study enrolled 119 nongamers, 62 violent gamers, and 58 non-violent gamers. The prevalence of IGD was 0.8%. PGWB-S scores of gamers were comparable to nongamers. On multiple linear regression, lower PGWB-S score and higher frequency of use were found significantly associated with higher IGDSF-S9 scores. Violent gaming was found significantly associated with male gender (P ≤ 0.001), frequency (P = 0.012), and duration of game use (P ≤ 0.001). Conclusions: The study provides empirical evidence for the "gaming as a consequence of self-medication" hypothesis.