Problematic Gaming Is Associated with Some Health-Related Behaviors Among Finnish Vocational School Students
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Problematic Gaming Is Associated with Some Health-Related Behaviors Among Finnish Vocational School Students Niko Männikkö 1,2
& Heidi Ruotsalainen
1,2
3
& Asko Tolvanen & Maria Kääriäinen
2,4
# The Author(s) 2019
Abstract The objective of this work was to examine the connections between problematic digital gaming and various health-related behavior characteristics in a population of vocational school students. Data collection was performed (N = 1335) via an online survey in vocational school units in northern Finland. The survey incorporated the Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGD10) as well as self-reported measures including questions on socio-demographics, information on the living arrangements of participants, gaming habits, and health-related behaviors. Eightyfour percent (n = 773) of the respondents (an average age of 17.5 years [SD = 4.4]) played digital games regularly. Male gender, daily game use, having no close friends, self-perceived underweight status and monthly drug use were all significantly and positively associated with problematic gaming scores. Engagement in digital game playing was especially associated with participants who lived with a friend or friends or in a blended family structure engagement. These findings have implications for counselors and researchers working on the healthrelated behaviors of vocational school students. Keywords Video games . Gaming disorder . Health Digital game playing is a ubiquitous pastime among youths and adults (Duggan 2015). Technological advances and the rapid increase in Internet access over the past two decades have allowed the digital game industry to greatly expand its appeal, attracting the attention and
* Niko Männikkö [email protected]
1
Department of Social Services and Rehabilitation, Oulu University of Applied Sciences, Kiviharjuntie 4, 90220 Oulu, Finland
2
Research Unit of Nursing Science and Health Management, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
3
Methodology Center for Human Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
4
Oulu University Hospital, Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu, Finland
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
interest of many young people. The most recent revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD11; World Health Organization [WHO] 2019), which published during 2018, identifies a Gaming Disorder (GD; or problematic gaming) as a mental health condition. Several scholars have voiced disagreements with this classification, arguing that it risks overpathologizing healthy gaming (Aarseth et al. 2017). Previous studies on GD mainly approached this phenomenon using theoretical frameworks based on those developed for use with substance abuse disorders (Petry et al. 2014). These frameworks treat gaming behavior as something that is inherently addictive (Pontes et al. 2015), with addiction-based symptoms and related impairments similar to those of substance abuse, including loss of control, cravings, limited activity focus, and life conflicts (Kuss and Griffiths 2012). In add
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