Associations Between Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Internet Gaming Disorder Symptoms Mediated by Depressive Symptoms and Hopelessness Among College Students

Abstract

Purpose: The mediating role of depressive symptoms and hopelessness on the relationship between attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and internet gaming disorder (IGD) symptoms has not yet been elucidated. This study assessed this mediating effect in college students. Participants and Methods: Participants consisted of 1236 freshmen recruited at a local university. Symptoms of ADHD, IGD, depression and hopelessness were measured using self-report scales. The effect of ADHD on IGD mediated by depression and hopelessness was analyzed by Haye's PROCESS macro for SPSS (Model 6) using the bias-corrected percentile bootstrap method with 5000 bootstrapped samples. Results: Symptoms of ADHD, depression and hopelessness were common in college students and were strongly associated with the appearance of IGD symptoms. ADHD symptoms of college students impacted their IGD symptoms directly and indirectly via depressive symptoms and hopelessness. The total effect of ADHD symptoms on IGD symptoms was 0.075 (standard error [SE]: 0.009, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.057, 0.093), with a direct effect of 0.037 (SE: 0.010, 95% CI 0.018, 0.056, effect ratio: 49.3%), and total indirect effect was 0.038 (SE: 0.005, 95% CI 0.029, 0.050, effect ratio: 50.7%). Conclusion: Depressive symptoms and hopelessness can mediate the relationship between ADHD and IGD symptoms among college students. These findings point to the importance of evaluating ADHD, depressive and hopelessness symptoms for the prevention and treatment of adult IGD.

Is the proposed distinction of gaming disorder into a predominantly online vs. offline form meaningful? Empirical evidence from a large German speaking gamer sample

“…More specifically, disordered gaming as assessed under the WHO and APA diagnostic frameworks both exhibited a highly comparable association pattern ( Montag et al, 2019b ). The findings obtained echo the findings of previous research reporting a positive association between IGD with loneliness (e.g., Montag et al, 2019b , Rogier et al, 2021 , Wang, 2021 ), attention problems (e.g., Chen et al, 2021 , Montag et al, 2019b , Yen et al, 2017 ), and depression (e.g., Evren et al, 2019 , Jeong et al, 2019 , Montag et al, 2019b ). Despite corroborating previous findings, and the expected association between disordered online gaming and increased tendencies towards psychopathology, our study findings warrant further scrutiny of the inter-relationships between GD and other comorbidities that have been proposed in the context of IGD, particularly in the context of clinical samples diagnosed with GD.…”

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Internet Gaming Disorder Under the COVID-19 Pandemic Among University Students in Macao

“…Increased gaming time was mentioned as a predisposition factor for IGD ( Jeong et al., 2021 ; Rho et al, 2017 ; Severo et al, 2020 ). Diseases and symptoms related to IGD included functional and dysfunctional impulsivity ( Rho et al, 2017 ), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ( Chen et al, 2021 ; Jeong et al, 2021 ), depression ( Chen et al, 2021 ; Liu et al., 2022 ; Severo et al, 2020 ; Teng et al, 2020 ) hopelessness ( Chen et al, 2021 ), lousy sleeping quality ( Severo et al, 2020 ), role impairment ( Borges et al, 2019 ), loneliness ( Zeliha, 2019 ), and anxiety ( Archana et al, 2019 ; Rho et al., 2017 ; Teng et al, 2020 ). The proven bidirectional relationship meant people with IGD had a high risk of developing these diseases and symptoms, and these diseases and symptoms could cause and even deteriorate IGD.…”

Differences between recreational gamers and Internet Gaming Disorder candidates in a sample of Animal Crossing: New Horizons players

“…Recent meta-analyses report worldwide prevalence rates of IGD between 2.5 and 4.6% 10 – 13 , although individual studies may vary widely 14 . Literature suggests close associations between IGD and psychological problems in general 15 , and depression 16 – 22 , anxiety 16 , 18 , 19 , 23 , 24 and ADHD 16 , 19 , 25 – 29 , in particular.…”