Gaming disorder and the COVID-19 pandemic: Treatment demand and service delivery challenges

There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

Abstract

Gaming activities have conferred numerous benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, some individuals may be at greater risk of problem gaming due to disruption to adaptive routines, increased anxiety and/or depression, and social isolation. This paper presents a summary of 2019–2021 service data from specialist addiction centers in Germany, Switzerland, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Treatment demand for gaming disorder has exceeded service capacity during the pandemic, with significant service access issues. These data highlight the need for adaptability of gaming disorder services and greater resources and funding to respond effectively in future public health crises.

Related collections

Most cited references 41

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Preventing problematic internet use during the COVID-19 pandemic: Consensus guidance

Orsolya Király, Marc Potenza, Dan J. Stein … (2020)

As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many governments have introduced steps such as spatial distancing and “staying at home” to curb its spread and impact. The fear resulting from the disease, the ‘lockdown’ situation, high levels of uncertainty regarding the future, and financial insecurity raise the level of stress, anxiety, and depression experienced by people all around the world. Psychoactive substances and other reinforcing behaviors (e.g., gambling, video gaming, watching pornography) are often used to reduce stress and anxiety and/or to alleviate depressed mood. The tendency to use such substances and engage in such behaviors in an excessive manner as putative coping strategies in crises like the COVID-19 pandemic is considerable. Moreover, the importance of information and communications technology (ICT) is even higher in the present crisis than usual. ICT has been crucial in keeping parts of the economy going, allowing large groups of people to work and study from home, enhancing social connectedness, providing greatly needed entertainment, etc. Although for the vast majority ICT use is adaptive and should not be pathologized, a subgroup of vulnerable individuals are at risk of developing problematic usage patterns. The present consensus guidance discusses these risks and makes some practical recommendations that may help diminish them.

0 comments Cited 269 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: found

Is Open Access

Problematic online gaming and the COVID-19 pandemic

Daniel L. King, Paul H. Delfabbro, Joel Billieux … (2020)

Stay-at-home mandates and quarantines related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have led to greatly increased participation in online gaming. Initiatives such as #PlayApartTogether that promote gaming for socializing and stress reduction may achieve positive outcomes. Although gaming can be a healthy coping strategy for the majority, it can also pose risks to some vulnerable individuals. Protracted periods of social isolation and technology-based activity pose the danger of solidifying unhealthy lifestyle patterns, leading to difficulties to readaptation when the COVID-19 crisis has passed. Balanced and effective approaches to gaming during the COVID-19 pandemic are needed to support physical and psychological wellbeing.

0 comments Cited 232 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Prevalence of Internet gaming disorder in German adolescents: diagnostic contribution of the nine DSM-5 criteria in a state-wide representative sample.

Florian Rehbein, Sören Kliem, Dirk Baier … (2015)

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is included as a condition for further study in Section 3 of the DSM-5. Nine criteria were proposed with a threshold of five or more criteria recommended for diagnosis. The aims of this study were to assess how the specific criteria contribute to diagnosis and to estimate prevalence rates of IGD based on DSM-5 recommendations.

0 comments Cited 192 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

All references

Author and article information

Contributors

Daniel L. King:

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1762-2581

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): J Behav Addict

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): J Behav Addict

Journal ID (publisher-id): JBA

Title: Journal of Behavioral Addictions

Publisher: Akadémiai Kiadó (Budapest )

ISSN (Print): 2062-5871

ISSN (Electronic): 2063-5303

Publication date (Electronic): 12 April 2022

Publication date (Electronic, collection): July 2022

Publication date (Print, pub): July 2022

Volume: 11

Issue: 2

Pages: 243-248

Affiliations

[1 ] College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University , Australia

[2 ] Outpatient Centre for Behavioral Addictions ReConnecte, Addiction Division, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospitals of Geneva , Switzerland

[3 ] Clinical and Sociological Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva , Switzerland

[4 ] National Hospital Organization Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center , Yokosuka, Japan

[5 ] National Centre for Gaming Disorders , United Kingdom

[6 ] Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London , United Kingdom

[7 ] Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge University , United Kingdom

[8 ] Outpatient Clinic for Behavioral Addictions, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at the University Medical Center , Mainz, Germany

[9 ] Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne , Lausanne, Switzerland

[10 ] Centre for Excessive Gambling, Addiction Medicine, Lausanne University Hospitals (CHUV) , Lausanne, Switzerland

[11 ] University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney Medical School, Nepean Clinical School , Sydney, Australia

[12 ] National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research, The University of Queensland , Brisbane, Australia

[13 ] The Psych Matters Clinic, Concord , Sydney, Australia

[14 ] School of Psychology, The University of Adelaide , Australia

Author notes

[* ]Corresponding author. E-mail: daniel.king@ 123456flinders.edu.au

Author information

Daniel L. King https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1762-2581

Sophia Achab https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3861-3297

Susumu Higuchi https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3241-4756

Kai W. Müller https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9425-2676

Joël Billieux https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7388-6194

Vladan Starcevic https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6772-6995

John B. Saunders https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1824-1000

Article

DOI: 10.1556/2006.2022.00011

PMC ID: 9295227

PubMed ID: 35413005

SO-VID: 7cf325e6-b420-4933-a9d0-83c988bbdb3e

License:

Open Access. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium for non-commercial purposes, provided the original author and source are credited, a link to the CC License is provided, and changes – if any – are indicated.

History

Date received : 14 December 2021

Date revision received : 18 February 2022

Date accepted : 13 March 2022

Page count

Equations: 0, References: 37, Pages: 06

Funding

Funded by: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA)

Award ID: DE170101198

Funded by: Australian Research Council (ARC)

Comments

Comment on this article

scite_

Cited by 9

See all cited by

Most referenced authors 407

See all reference authors

- Version 1
- Version 1

Gaming disorder and the COVID-19 pandemic: Treatment demand and service delivery challenges

Read this article at

Abstract

Related collections

UCL: Covid-19 Research

Most cited references 41

Preventing problematic internet use during the COVID-19 pandemic: Consensus guidance

Problematic online gaming and the COVID-19 pandemic

Prevalence of Internet gaming disorder in German adolescents: diagnostic contribution of the nine DSM-5 criteria in a state-wide representative sample.

Author and article information

Contributors

Journal

Affiliations

Author notes

Author information

Article

History

Page count

Funding

Categories

Comments

Comment on this article

Similar content 241

Cited by 9

Most referenced authors 407