Internet Game Addiction and Emotional and Behavioral Characteristics in Upper Grade Elementary School Students and Middle School Students

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed at investigating the relationship between internet game addiction and emotional and behavioral characteristics of students both in the 5th and 6th grade of elementary school and in middle school. METHODS: Two elementary schools and two middle schools were chosen to participate. The students completed self-report questionnaires designed by the authors, called the Internet Game Addiction Scale, Korean youth self-report (K-YSR). RESULTS: Compared to previous studies, the rates of those in the obvious game addiction group were much lower in this study. We defined the upper 10% of internet game addiction scores as a high risk user group and the lower 10% as a control group. There were significant differences between the groups with respect to the the ages at which internet gaming began, the frequency of game play per week, and the average length of each game playing session. Significant associations were also found between the level of internet game addiction and the withdrawn and delinquency subscales of the K-YSR. However, the association between game addiction and the withdrawn subscale was found only in middle school students. CONCLUSION: The findings from this study suggested that withdrawn and delinquent behaviors could be predictors of internet game addiction. Results also suggested the importance of early childhood intervention for preventing the development of more severe psychopathology in early adolescence.