The rate of patients screened positive for gaming disorder/Internet gaming disorder among adolescents with mental health issues assessed by two screening tests: A nine-item screening test for GD (GAMES Test) and the Ten-Item Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGDT-10).

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to estimate the rate of patients who screened positive for gaming disorder (GD) in ICD-11 among adolescents with psychiatric and/or developmental disorders by using two screening tests: a nine-item screening test for GD, GAMing Engagement Screening test (GAMES Test), and the Ten-Item Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGDT-10).

Methods: Subjects were 257 adolescent patients attending a psychiatric clinic in Sapporo, Japan. They were asked to complete two questionnaires. The total score on the IGDT-10 was calculated by two different scoring methods, original version (OV) and modified version (MV). The three groups were also compared on the basis of their clinical diagnoses.

Results: Of the 203 respondents, 42 (20.7%) screened positive using the GAMES Test. With respect to the IGDT-10, only eight (3.9%) screened positive using the IGDT-10 OV scoring, while 55 (27.1%) screened positive using the IGDT-10 MV. The most notable finding was that the mean total scores on the GAMES Test and the IGDT-10 MV were significantly higher in the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder group than in the other two groups (depression and autism spectrum disorder).

Conclusion: The results of this study showed that adolescents with mental health problems had a higher rate of screening positivity on self-rated screening tools for GD than the general population. Because excessive gaming has a wide range of adverse effects on adolescents' mental health, early detection of probable GD is crucial. Screening for GD should be part of routine clinical practice.