Mental Health Symptomatology, Internet Gaming Disorder and Gaming-Related Harms

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) affects approximately 3-5% of the population worldwide and is listed in the DSM-5 as a condition for further study. Gamers, irrespective of IGD status, may also report gaming-related harms, including work or study or health harms. A relationship has been established between IGD and mental health symptoms. However, there is a lack of research that has examined the relationship between mental health symptoms and gaming-related harms. The present study utilized a cross-sectional online survey to assess the association between mental health symptoms and the prevalence of IGD and gaming-related harms. A total of N = 738 adult participants who resided in the United States or Canada and had played any video games within the past month were retained in the sample. Meeting the cut-off for any mental health symptoms was associated with an increased prevalence of IGD (3-14-fold) and all gaming-related harms (1-5-fold). Gamers, including individuals who do not meet the cut-off for IGD but still experience harms associated with their video gaming, may need to be closely monitored for mental health comorbidity.