RESEARCH ARTICLE
Patterns and Predictors of Internet Gaming Disorder: An Observational Study from Jordan
Reema Karasneh1, Sayer Al-Azzam2, Karem H. Alzoubi3, 4, *, Mohammad B. Nusair5, Sahar Hawamdeh2, Amal T. Nusir6
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2021Volume: 17
First Page: 217
Last Page: 223
Publisher ID: CPEMH-17-217
DOI: 10.2174/1745017902117010217
Article History:
Received Date: 25/6/2021Revision Received Date: 1/9/2021
Acceptance Date: 12/10/2021
Electronic publication date: 22/12/2021
Collection year: 2021
open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Objective:
Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) is a rapidly growing public health problem that may have detrimental effects. The purpose of this study is to identify factors associated with IGD status.
Methods:
In this cross-sectional observational study, a convenient sample of gamers in Jordan was recruited and asked to participate in an online survey based on the nine criteria of the 20-item Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD-20) used to assess gaming disorder. Sociodemographic and psychosocial data were also obtained.
Results:
A total of 504 gamers participated in this study. The mean age of respondents was 21.6 ± 3.90 years. Using the standard IGD-20 scale, 96 participants (19%) were classified as potential IGD cases, compared to 408 (80.9%) non-disordered gamers. Males were dominant among the population, constituting 348 (69%) of gamers. Males also played significantly more hours per week [17.8 ±16.75] compared to females [13 ± 17.65]. The majority of gamers (411 (81.5%)) were students, although unemployed adults played for the highest total time [23.9 ± 30.84 hours/week]. Device type used for gaming also significantly (p <0.05) affected the time spent playing. Predictors of IGD included educational level (p< 0.05) and playing hours/week (p< 005). Conversely, no significant associations were found between IGD and gender, age, employment, or sleeping hours. IGD is increasingly being diagnosed among both genders and presents a health challenge for internet users.
Conclusion:
Establishing gamer profiles and recognizing predictors of IGD is therefore vital for guiding clinical classification and diagnosis of the disease.
