Gaming Addiction, Gaming Engagement, and Psychological Health Complaints Among Norwegian Adolescents
Abstract
Distinguishing high engagement with games from gaming addiction has been a challenge for researchers. We present evidence that an established self-report instrument can be used to distinguish addicted gamers from highly engaged gamers. The study used data from the World Health Organization's survey, Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children. A nationally representative sample of Norwegian eighth graders completed the Game Addiction Scale for Adolescents. Respondents who endorsed all four of the core criteria for addiction (relapse, withdrawal, conflict, and problems) were categorized as addicted gamers. Respondents who endorsed two or three of the core criteria were categorized as problem gamers. Those who endorsed all three peripheral criteria (salience, tolerance, and mood modification), but not more than one of the addiction criteria, were categorized as highly engaged gamers. Controlling for gender and physical exercise, gaming addicts and problem gamers had greater risk of feeling low, feeling irritable or in a bad mood, feeling nervous, feeling tired and exhausted, and feeling afraid. The highly engaged gamers did not have greater risk of psychological health complaints. This suggests that it is possible to distinguish addicted and problem gamers with psychological health complaints from adolescents who are merely highly engaged gamers.
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Some authors have reported that gamers who do not exhibit evidence of other psychopathology or functional impairment may endorse items intended to parallel substance addiction, challenging their diagnostic utility.
“Some authors have reported that gamers who do not exhibit evidence of other psychopathology or functional impairment may endorse such items intended to parallel substance addiction 174-176 , thus challenging their diagnostic utility 172 .”
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- Authors
- Brunborg, G. S., Mentzoni, R. A., Melkevik, O. R., Torsheim, T., Samdal, O., Hetland, J., Andreassen, C. S., & Palleson, S.
- Affiliations
- Norwegian Social Research
- University of Bergen (NO)
- Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NO)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Media Psychology
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2013-01
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 115-128
- ISSN
- 1521-3269 (ISSN-L)
- 1532-785X
- OpenAlex
- W2013746463
- Cited by
- 155
- References
- 37
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 16.52
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Media Psychology (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Gambling Behavior and Treatments
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Games and Media
- Keywords
- gaming addiction, game engagement, adolescents, mood modification, irritable mood, anxiety, Health Behaviour in School-aged Children
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