Impulsivity, Self-control, Interpersonal Influences, and Maladaptive Cognitions as Factors of Internet Gaming Disorder Among Adolescents in China: Cross-sectional Mediation Study

Background Gaming disorder, including internet gaming disorder (IGD), was recently defined by the World Health Organization as a mental disease in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). Thus, reducing IGD is warranted. Maladaptive cognitions related to internet gaming (MCIG) have been associated with IGD, while impulsivity, self-control, parental influences, and peer influences are key risk factors of IGD. Previous literature suggests that MCIG is associated with the aforementioned 4 risk factors and IGD, and may thus mediate between these risk factors and IGD. These potential mediations, if significant, imply that modification of MCIG may possibly alleviate these risk factors’ harmful impacts on increasing IGD. These mediation hypotheses were tested in this study for the first time. Objective This study tested the mediation effects of MCIG between intrapersonal factors (impulsivity and self-control) and IGD, and between interpersonal factors (parental influences and peer influences) and IGD among adolescents in China. Methods An anonymous, cross-sectional, and self-administered survey was conducted among secondary school students in classroom settings in Guangzhou and Chengdu, China. All grade 7 to 9 students (7 to 9 years of formal education) of 7 secondary schools were invited to join the study, and 3087 completed the survey. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) checklist was used to assess IGD. MCIG was assessed by using the Chinese version of the Revised Internet Gaming Cognition Scale. Impulsivity, self-control, and parental or peer influences were measured by using the motor subscale of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, the Brief Self-Control Scale, and the modified interpersonal influence scale, respectively. Structural equation modeling was conducted to examine the mediation effects of MCIG between these risk factors and IGD. Results The prevalence of IGD was 13.57% (418/3081) and 17.67% (366/2071) among all participants and adolescent internet gamers, respectively. The 3 types of MCIG (perceived rewards of internet gaming, perceived urges for playing internet games, and perceived unwillingness to stop playing without completion of gaming tasks) were positively associated with IGD. Impulsivity, self-control, parental influences, and peer influences were all significantly associated with the 3 types of MCIG and IGD. The 3 types of MCIG partially mediated the associations between the studied factors and IGD (effect size of 30.0% to 37.8%). Conclusions Impulsivity, self-control, and interpersonal influences had both direct and indirect effects via MCIG on IGD. Modifications of the 3 types of MCIG can potentially reduce the harmful impacts of impulsivity and interpersonal influences on IGD and enhance the protective effect of self-control against IGD. Future longitudinal studies are warranted.

Influence model with opinions and trust score evaluations under the leader-follower environment

A group decision-making process is introduced by utilizing the influence model together with a matrix of interpersonal influences and an opinion matrix. The opinion matrix is constructed with the opinions/advice from one group of experts towards the other. Experts are divided into two groups, one which has more experienced, skilled and qualified persons is known as the group of opinion leaders and the other is known as the group of opinion followers. Sometimes, decision-makers are ordinary agents and their opinion formation is profoundly influenced by opinion leaders. The truthfulness of opinion leaders and the interpersonal influences of decision-makers is also taken into account. Also, a modified definition of trust score evaluation is presented with the understanding of the fact that the maximum trust which a decision-maker can do upon some opinion leader is his/her truthfulness. On the basis of this definition, a trust score matrix is constructed and the influence model is modified to take into account that matrix.

Impulsivity, Self-control, Interpersonal Influences, and Maladaptive Cognitions as Factors of Internet Gaming Disorder Among Adolescents in China: Cross-sectional Mediation Study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Gaming disorder, including internet gaming disorder (IGD), was recently defined by the World Health Organization as a mental disease in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). Thus, reducing IGD is warranted. Maladaptive cognitions related to internet gaming (MCIG) have been associated with IGD, while impulsivity, self-control, parental influences, and peer influences are key risk factors of IGD. Previous literature suggests that MCIG is associated with the aforementioned 4 risk factors and IGD, and may thus mediate between these risk factors and IGD. These potential mediations, if significant, imply that modification of MCIG may possibly alleviate these risk factors’ harmful impacts on increasing IGD. These mediation hypotheses were tested in this study for the first time. OBJECTIVE This study tested the mediation effects of MCIG between intrapersonal factors (impulsivity and self-control) and IGD, and between interpersonal factors (parental influences and peer influences) and IGD among adolescents in China. METHODS An anonymous, cross-sectional, and self-administered survey was conducted among secondary school students in classroom settings in Guangzhou and Chengdu, China. All grade 7 to 9 students (7 to 9 years of formal education) of 7 secondary schools were invited to join the study, and 3087 completed the survey. The <i>Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders</i> (<i>DSM-5</i>) checklist was used to assess IGD. MCIG was assessed by using the Chinese version of the Revised Internet Gaming Cognition Scale. Impulsivity, self-control, and parental or peer influences were measured by using the motor subscale of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, the Brief Self-Control Scale, and the modified interpersonal influence scale, respectively. Structural equation modeling was conducted to examine the mediation effects of MCIG between these risk factors and IGD. RESULTS The prevalence of IGD was 13.57% (418/3081) and 17.67% (366/2071) among all participants and adolescent internet gamers, respectively. The 3 types of MCIG (perceived rewards of internet gaming, perceived urges for playing internet games, and perceived unwillingness to stop playing without completion of gaming tasks) were positively associated with IGD. Impulsivity, self-control, parental influences, and peer influences were all significantly associated with the 3 types of MCIG and IGD. The 3 types of MCIG partially mediated the associations between the studied factors and IGD (effect size of 30.0% to 37.8%). CONCLUSIONS Impulsivity, self-control, and interpersonal influences had both direct and indirect effects via MCIG on IGD. Modifications of the 3 types of MCIG can potentially reduce the harmful impacts of impulsivity and interpersonal influences on IGD and enhance the protective effect of self-control against IGD. Future longitudinal studies are warranted.

Influence model and doubly extended TOPSIS with TOPSIS based matrix of interpersonal influences

The aim of this paper is to construct a matrix of interpersonal influences employing TOPSIS and then to apply the matrix in influence model and doubly extended TOPSIS. Entries of that matrix are obtained from coefficients of relative closeness. Such a systematically constructed matrix performs better than the direct influence matrix because of the consideration of alternatives under certain criteria/attributes. Implementation of such influence matrix improves an influence model and group decision process. In this paper, TOPSIS is used for individual as well as group decisions. Once the decisions are reached by individuals with the help of TOPSIS, then coefficients of relative closeness are obtained and matrix of interpersonal influences is constructed. This matrix is used in influence model and to construct the influenced decision matrices. These influenced decision matrices are aggregated to get the collective decision. This strategy is based on the fact that the decisions taken by individuals affect their collective decision in future.

Determinants of User Engagement in Social Commerce

The focus of this study is how social commerce engages users and encourages them to purchase. By proposing the concepts of user engagement as different ways to provide deep and meaningful experience, this study develops a model that explores the antecedents of user engagement and its role in explaining a user to purchase in social commerce. For this, this study surveys 352 users using social commerce in Korea and analyzes the data using AMOS 24. In the results, first, social capital including bridging social capital and bonding social capital and interpersonal influences including normative influence and informational influence increases user engagement. Second, user engagement increases their purchase intention. Finally, bridging social capital and informational influence among the antecedents of user engagement increases users' purchase intention through their user engagement. The findings contribute to research on social commerce by paying scholarly attention to meaningful engagement characterized by user engagement.