Pattern and correlates of Internet gaming disorder among medical students - A cross-sectional study from a tertiary care health institute, Rajasthan.

BACKGROUND

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is a global problem associated with several psychological complications, such as insomnia, poor academic performance, and aggression. The present study aimed to explore the pattern and correlates of gaming disorder among a sample of medical college students from India and determine the motivational basis for it.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted at a medical college in Rajasthan from January 2021 to June 2021 after obtaining approval from the Institutional Ethical Committee. The study participants were all medical undergraduate students of age 18 years or more, who were engaged in Internet gaming during the past year (i.e., the last 12 months. It was a web-based online survey in which a pre-designed, semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information on the socio-demographic profile of the respondents, Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) and Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire (MOGQ) scale. Multivariate regression analysis was performed for the prediction of dependent variables on the basis of several independent variables like gender, substance abuse, relationship status, and weekly time and money spent on gaming.

RESULTS

The study included 864 undergraduate students, out of which 675 were engaged in Internet gaming during the last 12 months, so analyses were made on 675 students to assess the severity of IGD. The proportion of disordered gamers was 2.1%. Substance abuse [odds ratio (OR) = 7.026], owning a game console or other dedicated gaming devices (OR = 10.099), and weekly time spent on gaming (OR = 7.026) were significantly associated with higher odds of being a disordered gamer. Similarly, the weekly amount of money spent on gaming and the age of initiation of gaming were also significant predictors for IGD.

CONCLUSIONS

Substance abuse, owning a game console or other dedicated gaming devices, weekly time spent on gaming, weekly money spent on gaming, and age of initiation of gaming were independent predictors for disordered gamers. Restricting gaming activities and engaging and training in other activities can help overcome the problem.