Online gaming motives, family relationships, and personality among Indian youth

Youth involvement in gaming has become an important concern for mental health professionals due to its significant impact on functionality and relationships. However, the gaming motives and associated family relationships and personality traits in the Indian context are poorly understood. The study examined problematic online gaming, including Internet gaming disorder in connection to gaming motives and personality, especially as they impact family relationships among Indian youth. The study consisted of 179 participants (86 males; 93 females) with the age range of 18–25 years who were involved in Internet gaming in the last 1 year. The subjects were recruited using an online survey. Tools used were brief and included the Gaming Usage Questionnaire, Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short-Form, Motivation for Online Gaming Questionnaire UCLA Loneliness Scale, Sheehan Disability Scale, Brief Family Relationships Questionnaire, and MINI International Personality Item Pool. The mean age of the participants was 21.99 ± 2.202 years. A stepwise multivariate regression analysis indicated that escape and competition motives, low cohesion in family relationships, low level of conscientiousness, and low level of intellect/imagination contributed to problematic gaming behaviors. The study established a relationship between gaming motives and both internal and external factors associated with problematic online gaming. Generalizing the findings across a larger youth population would help in developing informed preventive measures to reduce the risk of developing a gaming disorder.