Reframing video gaming and internet use addiction: empirical cross-national comparison of heavy use over time and addiction scales among young users

• Published in: Addiction (Abingdon, England) Vol. 111; no. 3; pp. 513 - 522
• Main Authors: Baggio, Stéphanie, Dupuis, Marc, Studer, Joseph, Spilka, Stanislas, Daeppen, Jean-Bernard, Simon, Olivier, Berchtold, André, Gmel, Gerhard
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.03.2016
• Subjects: Addiction; Addictions; Adolescent; Adolescents; Behavior, Addictive - diagnosis; Behavior, Addictive - epidemiology; Behavior, Addictive - psychology; Cohort Studies; Comorbidity; Computer & video games; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depressive Disorder, Major - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder, Major - psychology; France; France - epidemiology; heavy use over time; Humans; Internet; internet use; Longitudinal Studies; Male; measurement; population-based sample; Self Report; Switzerland; Switzerland - epidemiology; Teenagers; Video Games; video gaming; Young Adult; internet use; video gaming; Addiction; heavy use over time; measurement; population-based sample
• ISSN: 0965-2140; 1360-0443
• DOI: 10.1111/add.13192

Background and aims Evidence‐based and reliable measures of addictive disorders are needed in general population‐based assessments. One study suggested that heavy use over time (UOT) should be used instead of self‐reported addiction scales (AS). This study compared UOT and AS regarding video gaming and internet use empirically, using associations with comorbid factors. Design Cross‐sectional data from the 2011 French Survey on Health and Consumption on Call‐up and Preparation for Defence‐Day (ESCAPAD), cross‐sectional data from the 2012 Swiss ado@internet.ch study and two waves of longitudinal data (2010–13) of the Swiss Longitudinal Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors (C‐SURF). Setting Three representative samples from the general population of French and Swiss adolescents and young Swiss men, aged approximately 17, 14 and 20 years, respectively. Participants ESCAPAD: n =22 945 (47.4% men); ado@internet.ch: n =3049 (50% men); C‐SURF: n =4813 (baseline + follow‐up, 100% men). Measurements We assessed video gaming/internet UOT ESCAPAD and ado@internet.ch: number of hours spent online per week, C‐SURF: latent score of time spent gaming/using internet] and AS (ESCAPAD: Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire, ado@internet.ch: Internet Addiction Test, C‐SURF: Gaming AS). Comorbidities were assessed with health outcomes (ESCAPAD: physical health evaluation with a single item, suicidal thoughts, and appointment with a psychiatrist; ado@internet.ch: WHO‐5 and somatic health problems; C‐SURF: Short Form 12 (SF‐12 Health Survey) and Major Depression Inventory (MDI). Findings UOT and AS were correlated moderately (ESCAPAD: r = 0.40, ado@internet.ch: r = 0.53 and C‐SURF: r = 0.51). Associations of AS with comorbidity factors were higher than those of UOT in cross‐sectional (AS: .005 ≤ |b| ≤ 2.500, UOT: 0.001 ≤ |b| ≤ 1.000) and longitudinal analyses (AS: 0.093 ≤ |b| ≤ 1.079, UOT: 0.020 ≤ |b| ≤ 0.329). The results were similar across gender in ESCAPAD and ado@internet.ch (men: AS: 0.006 ≤ |b| ≤ 0.211, UOT: 0.001 ≤ |b| ≤ 0.061; women: AS: 0.004 ≤ |b| ≤ 0.155, UOT: 0.001 ≤ |b| ≤ 0.094). Conclusions The measurement of heavy use over time captures part of addictive video gaming/internet use without overlapping to a large extent with the results of measuring by self‐reported addiction scales (AS). Measuring addictive video gaming/internet use via self‐reported addiction scales relates more strongly to comorbidity factors than heavy use over time.