AI Insight
This longitudinal study of 1032 Chinese high school students examined the relationship between perceived benefits and costs of internet gaming and internet gaming disorder (IGD) over one year. The research found that experiencing IGD symptoms predicted increased perception of gaming's negative consequences, but perceived costs or benefits did not predict future IGD development. Approximately 14% of participants met IGD criteria at both time points.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that prevention interventions focused solely on educating adolescents about gaming risks may be insufficient, since cognitive perceptions of costs do not appear to prevent IGD development. Instead, interventions may need to address the actual behavioral patterns and symptoms of problematic gaming directly.
by Xue Yang, Xin Wang, Miguel Ribeiro Ramos
This longitudinal panel study aims to investigate the relationships between short/long-term benefits and costs of internet gaming and internet gaming disorder (IGD) in adolescents. First-year high school students with a convenience sampling were recruited from four high schools in central China, and 1032 (56% boys) finished baseline and one-year follow-up surveys. The percentage of IGD was 14.8% at T1 and 13.9% at T2. Cross-lagged structural equation modeling showed that higher levels of IGD symptoms predicted more perceived short- and long-term costs of gaming, while perceptions of short- and long-term costs or benefits did not significantly predict IGD symptoms. These findings suggest experiencing actual negative consequences of internet gaming could enhance perceived costs. Prospective associations between cognitive perceptions and IGD are highlighted and the implications for interventions are discussed.