Risk factors for Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD): Towards lower-risk guidelines
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Date
2025-08
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University of New Brunswick
Abstract
Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and Gaming Disorder were formally added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th edition) and the International Classification of Diseases (11th edition) in 2013 and 2018 respectively (APA, 2013; WHO, 2022). Prior research has suggested that there are a variety of risk factors for IGD including using video games as a coping mechanism, the presence of mental health and substance use symptoms, and frequency and duration of gameplay (Bussone et al., 2020; Coëffec et al., 2015; Gao et al., 2022; Turner et al., 2012). However, although multiple studies have examined risk factors for IGD, there is currently no research examining the cumulative impact of risk factors on IGD and a lack of attention to gaming-related harms. The present study recruited N = 738 adult (18+) participants who resided in the USA or Canada and had played video games within the past month to participate in an online survey hosted on Qualtrics. Results from prevalence ratio analyses and independent samples t-tests indicated that increased internalizing symptoms, playing games daily and for more hours in a week, playing online games, and playing games for advancement-related or escapism motivations emerged as notable risk factors for IGD and experiencing moderate or greater gaming-related harms (e.g., work or study, health). There was a cumulative effect of risk factors on prevalence of IGD and gaming-related harms. As more risk factors were endorsed, participants’ prevalence of IGD and gaming-related harms increased. These findings provide support for the importance of considering a wide range of risk factors for IGD and may be useful for informing future lower-risk guidelines and public health approaches to IGD.