Exploring the connections between Gaming Disorder and real-life problems through network analysis

Recent research on Gaming Disorder (GD) has emphasized the important role of experiences related to psychiatric distress and functional impairments in GD, however, little is known about the complex relationship between its symptoms and specific associated problems. The present study recruited a nationally representative sample of 1,074 British adults to investigate the relationship between GD Symptoms and GD Problems within a network analysis framework among gamers. The results of the node centrality analysis revealed that significant distress/impairment was central, exhibiting the highest betweenness, closeness, and strength, and acted as a critical bridge linking other symptoms. Moreover, impaired control was the most influential node in terms of its potential to affect other nodes in the network, implying that both nodes are core symptoms of GD. Additionally, bridge centrality analysis suggested that while significant distress/impairment directly connected GD Symptoms with GD Problems, the nodes related to problems served as gateways between the two identified GD core symptoms, further propagating effects across the network. These findings present important implications as targeted interventions aiming at alleviating the experience of psychiatric distress and functional impairments associated with GD, while improving gaming behavior self-regulation may lead to cascading benefits reducing the overall intensity of symptoms experienced. Interestingly, the findings also supported the notion that GD Problems acted as bridges between the two GD core symptoms identified (i.e., significant distress/impairment and impaired control), signifying that they connect the GD core symptoms, allowing the effects of one symptom to influence the other while intensifying the overall experience of symptomatology.