Validation of the Digital Eye Strain Questionnaire and pilot application to online gaming addicts

Introduction ‘Digital eye strain’ (DES) is a clinical syndrome with eyesight symptoms related to continuous engagement in front of a screen-enabled digital device. With use of these devices constantly on the rise, the related symptoms have become prominent, even in younger ages. This study describes the process of validating the Digital Eye Strain Questionnaire (DESQ), a thirteen-item self-report scale in a yes-no format designed to offer a measure of complaints related to digital eye strain syndrome (DES). Methods The validation process included 150 outpatients with no long-standing eye disease who were examined for various eye complaints and 50 outpatients who were diagnosed with gaming addiction according to WHO ICD-11 clinical criteria. All participants filled in a demographics questionnaire, the DESQ, the Computer Vision Syndrome Questionnaire (CVS-Q) and the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire-9 (PIUQ-9). Results Principal component analysis of categorical variables confirmed the proposed three-factor DES structure with a total of 61.02% of explained variance and Cronbach's alpha equal to.94. Concurrent validity was assessed by comparing the results of the DESQ to the CVS-Q while convergent validity was assessed by examining correlations of the DESQ with results from the PIUQ-9 questionnaire. In all cases the DESQ demonstrated excellent reliability and validity. Conclusions Results indicate that the DESQ questionnaire can be employed to reliably measure the symptomatology of digital eye strain in clinical populations who present either with eye issues or with excessive use of the gaming and screen-enabled devices in general.

Sleep in Habitual Adult Video Gamers: A Systematic Review

Video gaming is a popular, globally recognized phenomenon, played recreationally or competitively as esports. Gaming is a typically sedentary nighttime activity; therefore, the potential to impact sleep and health is high. Furthermore, there are limited studies on adult gamers, who represent the majority demographic in esports. This review examines evidence describing sleep in habitual adult gamers to understand the associated risk for cardiometabolic disease or the benefits to gaming performance. Three electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, ISI Web of Science) were searched for peer-reviewed articles published between January 2000 – April 2020. Twelve studies reporting on sleep in habitual adult gamers were included. A narrative synthesis was employed to report results, owing to high levels of heterogeneity across the included studies. Gamers with higher gaming addiction scores were more likely to have shorter, poorer quality sleep and greater daytime sleepiness and insomnia scores than gamers with lower gaming addiction scores and non-gamers. In addition, high-volume gamers were more likely to have worsened sleep quantity and quality, with delayed sleep timing and increased prevalence of insomnia. Despite limitations in the design of the included studies, excessive gaming is broadly associated with worsened sleep parameters. Noteworthy is the lack of studies investigating cardiometabolic health in gamers. Future work should explore the relative contribution and associated risk that various games, genres, and timing of gaming activities have on sleep, physical and mental health, particularly in vulnerable gaming cohorts engaged with contemporary forms of gaming and esports.

“Gaming Addiction” and the Politics of Pathologies

A Critical Gambling Studies blog entry: “Gaming Addiction” and the Politics of Pathologies

Relationship of Internet and Gaming Addiction with Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder among Male University Students

Background In the modern trends life is impractical without computer and internet, scientific literature supported that internet addiction might have a close association with ADHD symptoms. Therefore, there was a dire need to extend this theory within the context of developing nations such as Egypt. Objectives The current study aims to investigate internet and gaming addiction in undergraduate university students of Ain shams University and its significant association with ADHD symptoms. Methodology This is a cross sectional comparative study. All data will be collected from Ain Shams University students from 4 different faculties (2 theoretical & 2 practical faculties). A sample comprised of 400 undergraduate students distributed across 4 different faculties meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results Overall 33% and 5 % of students fall in the moderate & severe Internet addiction level respectively, among which 37% & 7% have comorbid ADHD symptoms in theoretical faculties and 10% & 10 % in practical faculties. Also, 16.5% & 12% were risky and disordered gamers among which 37.1% & 29% and 25%, 60 % have comorbid ADHD symptoms in theoretical and practical faculties respectively. Implications, significance of the study, and limitation are enclosed Conclusion The results of the present study concluded that there is a significant relationship between internet and gaming addiction with ADHD symptoms among undergraduate university students in the selected sample. Recommendations Further in-depth research is needed to help in understanding the relationship between internet and gaming addiction at a larger scale.