Video Games in ADHD and Non-ADHD Children: Modalities of Use and Association With ADHD Symptoms

Abstract

Video game addiction in young children is relevant, but it is especially important for children with ADHD. In order to obtain more data about the use of video games by Canadian children, and in particular by ADHD children, we explored the modalities of use (playtime, addiction score and usage by age) and compared them between ADHD and non-ADHD children. We then examined associations between addiction and ADHD symptoms and explored innovative results about the gender impact. Our study was cross-sectional, multicenter in child psychiatrist departments, exploratory and descriptive. We recruited three groups of children aged 4–12 years: the ADHD Group, the Clinical-Control Group and the Community-Control Group. For each group, the material used consisted of questionnaires completed by one of the parents. Data collection took place from December 2016 to August 2018 in Montreal (n = 280). Our study highlighted a vulnerability in ADHD children: they would exhibit more addictive behaviors with respect to video games (Addiction score: 1.1025 in ADHD Group vs. 0.6802 in Community-Control Group) and prolonged periods of use. We also observed a correlation between the severity of ADHD symptoms and excessive use of video games (p = 0.000). Children with severe ADHD showed significantly higher addiction scores and, in a multiple regression analysis a combination of gender and ADHD explained the excessive use of video games.

Requirements of a Group Intervention for Adolescents with Internet Gaming Disorder in a Clinical Setting: A Qualitative Interview Study

“…Affected adolescents often neglect school and private responsibilities, spend less time with friends and in leisure activities in the real world, and show increasing conflicts in family interactions [6,7,12,13]. Moreover, IGD is often accompanied by mental comorbidities such as depression [14], attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) [15], autism spectrum disorder [16], oppositional defiant and dissociative disorder [17] and (social) anxiety [18].…”

Problematic use of digital media in children and adolescents with a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder compared to controls. A meta-analysis

“…64 studies did not fulfill the criteria (no PUI n = 35, no ADHD focus n = 24, different age n = 5). Among the remaining 11 PUI studies on ADHD, only two studies used the requested methods, but one study had to be excluded because the age range did not fulfill the criteria, besides missing statistical information ( Masi et al, 2021 ), the second study was published in Spanish ( Menendez-García et al, 2020 ). In consequence, no new study was included in the meta-analysis.…”

Gaming Disorder Seen Through the Prism of Dual Diagnosis: Prevalence and Associated Factors

“…Thus, different gamer profiles with different personality traits could favor the emergence of particular comorbid psychiatric disorders and thus favor very different DDs. Recently, a study about ADHD symptoms and video game addiction stated that impulsivity appears to be the ADHD symptom most strongly correlated with video game addiction (42). Therefore, both psychiatric disorders and GD reinforce each other depending on the specific patient temperament.…”