Video game disorder and mental wellbeing among university students: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: video games are a popular adult pastime but have a potentially pervasive negative influence on gamers. The aim: was to determine the prevalence of video game disorder (VGD), its associated predictors, and its impact on the mental health of university students.

Methods: a cross-sectional study was performed with a convenience sample of 2,364 undergraduate students. Sociodemographic criteria, the Internet Gaming Disorder-20 (IGD-20) questionnaire, and the Mental Health-5 (MH-5) questionnaire were used to collect data. The weights and heights of the students were self-reported. The average number of hours spent playing video games per week, the average number of hours of sleep per day, the favorite type of game played, and the main causes for playing were also included.

Results: the prevalence of VGD among participants was 18.9%. The main predictors of VGD were being male, residing in an urban area, playing more hours per week, sleeping fewer hours per day, and having a higher body mass index, while having a low socioeconomic status was a protective factor. Mental health had a strong negative correlation with VGD. The types of games most frequently played by video game addicts were violent and action games. However, the most frequent reasons cited for playing were to improve one´s avatar, relaxation, and amusement.

Conclusion: playing video games in moderation, adequate sleeping, and engaging in outdoor physical activities enhances mental well-being and physical functioning. Thus, it is critical to promote and encourage balanced, effective, stable approaches to video gaming among university students to maintain their mental well-being.