Relationships of gaming disorder, ADHD, and academic performance in university students: A mediation analysis.

This study investigates the intersection of Gaming Disorder (GD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Grade Point Average (GPA), among university students, a critical demographic often overlooked in research on these disorders. A sample of 348 university students was analyzed using the IGD-20 Test for risk of GD, the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) for ADHD symptoms, and GPA as a metric of academic performance. The findings indicate that 4.3% of the surveyed sample scored within the range for GD. The prevalence was higher in males, with 5.3% of the male cohort affected, compared to 1.2% of the female cohort. Significantly, the prevalence of ADHD was substantially higher in the GD group (35.7%) than in the non-GD group (24.2%). Further, ADHD symptoms were found to be a stronger predictor of GD in females than in males. Incorporating the mediating role of Gaming Disorder, this study also probes into how GD may serve as an intermediary in the impact of ADHD on academic performance. By examining the intricate relationship between these disorders, our findings suggest that GD exacerbates the negative effects of ADHD on academic performance, thereby underscoring the potential for Gaming Disorder to act as a bridge in this dynamic. This mediation analysis clarifies how ADHD may indirectly impact academic performance through GD. The study reveals a positive correlation between ADHD symptoms and GD severity, which in turn correlates negatively with academic achievement. In addition, the findings underscore the need for gender-sensitive interventions and highlight the importance of considering the comorbidity of ADHD and GD in academic settings, advocating for systematic screening for GD among students with ADHD, and vice versa. The dual challenges posed by ADHD and GD should be addressed to prevent their escalation into pervasive academic and psychosocial adversities.

The Digital Addiction Scale for Children: Development and Validation.

Researchers worldwide have developed and validated several scales to assess various forms of adults' digital addiction. The urge for some of these scales found support in World Health Organization's inclusion of gaming disorder as a mental health condition in its eleventh revision of the International Classification of Diseases in June 2018. Additionally, several studies have shown that children are starting to use digital devices (DDs) (e.g., tablets and smartphones) at a very young age, including playing video games and engaging in social media. Consequently, the need for early detection of the risk of digital addiction among children is becoming more of a necessity. In the present study, the Digital Addiction Scale for Children (DASC)-a 25-item self-report instrument-was developed and validated to assess the behavior of children 9 to 12 years old in association with DD usage, including video gaming, social media, and texting. The sample comprised 822 participants (54.2 percent males), from grade 4 to grade 7. The DASC showed excellent internal consistency reliability (α = 0.936) and adequate concurrent and criterion-related validities. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis showed that the DASC fitted the data very well. The DASC paves the way to (a) help in early identification of children at risk of problematic use of DDs and/or becoming addicted to DDs and (b) stimulate further research concerning children from different cultural and contextual settings.

Internet gaming disorder in Lebanon: Relationships with age, sleep habits, and academic achievement.

Background and aims The latest (fifth) edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders included Internet gaming disorder (IGD) as a disorder that needs further research among different general populations. In line with this recommendation, the primary objective of this was to explore the relationships between IGD, sleep habits, and academic achievement in Lebanese adolescents. Methods Lebanese high-school students (N = 524, 47.9% males) participated in a paper survey that included the Internet Gaming Disorder Test and demographic information. The sample's mean average age was 16.2 years (SD = 1.0). Results The pooled prevalence of IGD was 9.2% in the sample. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis demonstrated that IGD was associated with being younger, lesser sleep, and lower academic achievement. While more casual online gamers also played offline, all the gamers with IGD reported playing online only. Those with IGD slept significantly less hours per night (5 hr) compared with casual online gamers (7 hr). The school grade average of gamers with IGD was the lowest among all groups of gamers, and below the passing school grade average. Conclusions These findings shed light on sleep disturbances and poor academic achievement in relation to Lebanese adolescents identified with IGD. Students who are not performing well at schools should be monitored for their IGD when assessing the different factors behind their low academic performance.

Validation of the Arabic Version of the Internet Gaming Disorder-20 Test.

In recent years, researchers have been trying to shed light on gaming addiction and its association with different psychiatric disorders and psychological determinants. The latest edition version of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) included in its Section 3 Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) as a condition for further empirical study and proposed nine criteria for the diagnosis of IGD. The 20-item Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD-20) Test was developed as a valid and reliable tool to assess gaming addiction based on the nine criteria set by the DSM-5. The aim of this study is to validate an Arabic version of the IGD-20 Test. The Arabic version of IGD-20 will not only help in identifying Arabic-speaking pathological gamers but also stimulate cross-cultural studies that could contribute to an area in need of more research for insight and treatment. After a process of translation and back-translation and with the participation of a sizable sample of Arabic-speaking adolescents, the present study conducted a psychometric validation of the IGD-20 Test. Our confirmatory factor analysis showed the validity of the Arabic version of the IGD-20 Test. The one-factor model of the Arabic IGD-20 Test had very good psychometric properties, and it fitted the sample data extremely well. In addition, correlation analysis between the IGD-20 Test and the daily duration on weekdays and weekends gameplay revealed significant positive relationships that warranted a criterion-related validation. Thus, the Arabic version of the IGD-20 Test is a valid and reliable measure of IGD among Arabic-speaking populations.