Daniel Eriksson Sörman

BACKGROUND Studies have shown that emotion dysregulation, depression symptoms, and escapism motives are associated with Gaming Disorder (GD) symptoms. Findings indicate a discrepancy between the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Psychiatric Association (APA) GD symptoms frameworks. OBJECTIVE The current study aimed to investigate the serial mediating effect of depression symptoms and coping, escapism and fantasy motives on the relationship between emotion dysregulation and GD symptoms and compare the WHO and APA frameworks. METHODS Data was collected through an online survey utilizing validated self-reported measures. The final convenience sample consisted of 678 video game players (68.44 % men [n = 464], 29.65% women [n = 201], and 1.92% reported 'other' as gender identification [n = 13]) with an average age of 29.50 years (SD = 8.92). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the mediating effects. RESULTS The results showed that depression symptoms and a composite measure of coping, escapism, and fantasy motivations, in sequence, fully mediated the relationship between emotion dysregulation and GD symptoms within the WHO framework and partially mediated it within the APA framework. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that individuals with emotion dysregulation and higher levels of depression symptoms may use video games as an emotion regulation strategy. Managing emotion dysregulation and coping in the context of video games may aid in the clinical course for gaming disorder and co-occurring depression. Future research should utilize longitudinal designs to investigate study variables.

This study explored the relationship between the big five personality traits and gaming disorder symptoms (GDS) in a sample of Dota 2 players. Recent research has indicated that the relationship between personality traits and GDS may depend on the video game genre investigated. However, the association between GDS and personality has yet to be investigated within a specific game, which may be even more relevant to explore as each game offers unique gameplay mechanics that can influence player behavior differently. Thus, the present study investigated the relationship between the big five personality traits and GDS in a sample of video game players from a specific game, DOTA 2 (n = 321, M = 23.25 years, SD = 4.51). Multiple linear regression was used to analyze GDS formatted as a composite score, and one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were further conducted for analyses in which gamers were classified into normal gamers (i.e., less than three criteria endorsed), moderate-risk gamers (i.e., four criteria endorsed), and high-risk gamers (i.e., all criteria endorsed). The analysis of the composite score showed a significant relationship between neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and GDS. Analyses of the gaming classifications revealed that neuroticism was the most crucial factor concerning differentiating moderate-risk and high-risk from normal gamers. The findings and their practical implications are further discussed.

Introduction: The inclusion of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) in the fifth revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM‐5) by the American Psychiatric Association and Gaming Disorder in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD‐11) by the World Health Organization requires consistent psychological measures for reliable estimates. The current study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Gaming Disorder Test (GDT), the Ten‐Item Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGDT‐10), and the Five‐Item Gaming Disorder Test (GDT‐5) and to compare the WHO and the APA frameworks of gaming disorder symptoms in terms of psychopathological symptoms, life satisfaction, and personality traits.Methods: A sample of 723 Swedish gamers was recruited (29.8% women, 68.3% men, 1.9% other, M_age = 29.50 years, SD = 8.91).Results: The results indicated notable differences regarding the estimated possible risk groups between the two frameworks. However, the association between gaming disorder symptoms and personality traits, life satisfaction, and psychopathological symptoms appeared consistent across the two frameworks. The results showed excellent psychometric properties in support of the one‐factor model of the GDT, IGDT‐10, and GDT‐5, including good reliability estimates (McDonald's omega) and evidence of construct validity. Additionally, the results demonstrated full gender and age measurement invariance of the GDT, IGDT‐10, and GDT‐5, indicating that gaming disorder symptoms are measured equally across the subgroups.Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that the IGDT‐10, GDT‐5, and GDT are appropriate measures for assessing gaming disorder symptoms and facilitating future research in Sweden.

Treatments for adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are understudied, compared to children and adolescents with the same condition. In this systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis, we aim to evaluate the outcomes of computerized cognitive training (CCT) interventions in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) including adults with ADHD. Cognitive outcomes and ADHD symptom severity were analyzed separately. In addition, the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of cognitive abilities was used to categorize outcome variables into subdomains, which were analyzed separately in a subsequent analysis. The results revealed a small positive change in overall cognitive functioning, a measure of all cognitive outcomes in each study, for individuals who took part in CCT compared to controls (k = 9, Hedge's g = 0.235, 95% CI [0.002, 0.467], p = 0.048, τ² = 0.000, I² = 0.000). However, neither symptom severity nor specific cognitive outcomes (executive functioning, cognitive speed, or working memory) showed a significant improvement. We analyzed the risk of bias in the chosen studies and discuss the findings in terms of effect size. It is concluded that CCT has a small positive effect in adults with ADHD. Due to the lack of heterogeneity in intervention designs across the included studies, increased heterogeneity in future studies could help inform clinicians about the aspects of CCT, such as training type and length, that are most beneficial for this group. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).