Chen Shiyun, Zhu Shimin
Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2023 Oct 21;17(1):122. doi: 10.1186/s13034-023-00671-2.
The increasing prevalence of internet gaming disorder (IGD) among adolescents has become a global concern, while gaming plays a large role in many adolescents' lives. While prior research emphasised the significance of investigating IGD through an etiological lens, the interconnections between diverse gaming motivations and IGD symptoms in adolescents remain inadequately understood. This study explored the associations between distinct gaming motivations and IGD symptoms by conducting network analysis in adolescents.
Data from a two-year longitudinal school-based survey (N = 2148) was utilized. LPA was used to offer a straightforward and interpretable solution for identifying adolescents with two-year healthy and deteriorating transitions of IGD profiles. Subsequently, we conducted a network analysis to explore and compare the associations between gaming motivations and IGD symptoms in adolescents with two-year healthy transition profiles and deteriorating transition profiles.
Three profiles were delineated: 'low IGD' (T1: n = 808, 37.62%; T2: n = 731; 34.03%), 'middle IGD' (T1: n = 1063, 49.49%; T2: n = 1103, 51.35%), and 'severe IGD' (T1: n = 277, 12.89%; T2: n = 314, 14.62%), classifying adolescents with healthy transitions and those with deteriorating transitions. Three gaming motivations (i.e., 'Daily entertainment', 'I am good at it', and 'Improvement of ability and mindset') were identified as protective motivations. Two others, 'Enjoy being in the gaming world' and 'Preoccupation', were identified as bridge nodes in adolescents with deteriorating transitions. Three core nodes (i.e., 'Sense of victory', 'Enjoy being in the gaming world', and 'Sense of achievement') were identified in both adolescents with healthy profile transitions and deteriorating transitions.
Findings suggest that not all gaming motivations contribute to the development of IGD in adolescents. Adolescents with deteriorating transitions showed specific gaming motivation and IGD symptom that is closely connected. Future interventions should consider corresponding gaming motivation when addressing IGD among adolescents.
青少年网络游戏障碍（IGD）患病率的不断上升已成为全球关注的问题，而游戏在许多青少年的生活中扮演着重要角色。虽然先前的研究强调了从病因学角度调查IGD的重要性，但青少年中不同游戏动机与IGD症状之间的相互联系仍未得到充分理解。本研究通过对青少年进行网络分析，探讨了不同游戏动机与IGD症状之间的关联。
利用一项为期两年的基于学校的纵向调查数据（N = 2148）。潜在剖面分析（LPA）用于提供一种简单且可解释的方法，以识别具有两年健康和恶化的IGD状况转变的青少年。随后，我们进行了网络分析，以探索和比较具有两年健康转变状况和恶化转变状况的青少年中游戏动机与IGD症状之间的关联。
划分出三种状况：“低IGD”（T1：n = 808，37.62%；T2：n = 731，34.03%）、“中度IGD”（T1：n = 1063，49.49%；T2：n = 1103，51.35%）和“重度IGD”（T1：n = 277，12.89%；T2：n = 314，14.62%），对具有健康转变和恶化转变的青少年进行了分类。三种游戏动机（即“日常娱乐”、“我擅长于此”和“能力与思维方式的提升”）被确定为保护性动机。另外两种动机，“享受游戏世界”和“沉迷”，被确定为在转变恶化的青少年中的桥梁节点。在具有健康状况转变和恶化转变的青少年中均识别出三个核心节点（即“胜利感”、“享受游戏世界”和“成就感”）。
研究结果表明，并非所有游戏动机都会导致青少年发展为IGD。转变恶化的青少年表现出特定的游戏动机和与之紧密相连的IGD症状。未来的干预措施在解决青少年IGD问题时应考虑相应的游戏动机。
