European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Introduction: Most published studies covering Gaming Disorder (GD) were conducted in western settings covering school students hence there is a dearth of research illustrating the extent, pattern and the dangers associated with GD in Indian college students and especially within Tamil Nadu.The present study was therefore designed to analyse the level and patterns of gaming activity in a group of college students in Tamil Nadu and exploring its direct and indirect relationships with socio-demographic characteristics and psychological effects it can have on the individuals.
Methodology: The descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among 257 students of a private medical college. The prevalence of GD and its psychological effects were assessed by GAS developed by Lemmens et al and DASS-21 respectively. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to determine the socio-demographic profile and gaming activity of the participants. The online questionnaire was prepared using google forms and data analysis was carried out using Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 22. Results: Among the 257 participants 195 (75.9 %) were gamers and 18 (7 %) of them were classified as ‘addicted’. According to DASS-21 the ‘addiction’ to videogames had a significant association with depression, anxiety and stress and they also faced some economic burden and physical pain due to their gaming habits. Conclusion: GD is an emerging condition that among college students in India and it is imperative to raise awareness among college students, teachers and parents about the dangers caused by excessive gaming and the several risk factors involved with GD. The observations further reinforce the need to improve programs to combat behavioural addiction.