Factors impacting online gaming addiction on mental health of adolescents studying in the context of Karachi

Shaheen, Sadia

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors impacting online gaming addiction on mental health including emotional, psychological and social well-being of adolescents from five secondary schools of Karachi, Pakistan. It was hypothesized that engagement in online gaming (referring to electronic game playing over a computer network) has impacts on the overall mental health of these adolescents. This study employs between-subject design and a survey research method in which a sample from the population of gamers is taken using purposive sampling. The sample is composed of 103 participants who play online games (average age = 14.6, SD=1.8). The researchers conducted a survey for finding out the factors impacting online gaming addiction (OGA) and Mental Health (MH). The Internet gaming Disorder Scale–Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) and Mental Health Continuum Short Form (MHC-SF) was utilized as measures. Statistical analysis was done through SPSS V-26.0. Descriptive statistical tools were used for demographics, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for determining the influence of different variables and Pearson r correlation is used to find out the correlation of online gaming with mental health. The results showed that there is a significant influence of several factors on OGA and MH whereas a weak negative correlation is found between online gaming addiction and mental health of adolescents. On the basis of result findings, the researcher recommends that online gaming can be used for coping mechanism. Even parents and teachers can set proper rules for playing online games preferably on weekends or twice a week.

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