Internet Gaming Disorder and Mental Health in Pakistani youth: A Path Analysis with Impulsivity and Emotional Intelligence

Abstract

Abstract Background Over the past decade the research on Internet gaming disorder IGD in youth has increased substantially due to its impact on young people’s mental health. One of the established risk factor of IGD is impulsivity. However, there is very little literature exploring its pathway of association with emotional intelligence leading to IGD especially in context of Pakistan. Methods We collected an online sample of 387 Pakistani, 15–24 years-olds who were involved in online gaming. Participants filled Barratt Impulsiveness Scale; BIS; WHO-5 wellbeing scale; Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS) and Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short-Form (IGDS9-SF). Results The levels of IGD were high (58.9%) among youth involved in online gaming in Pakistan. We used Mplus to run path analysis showing that impulsivity partially mediates the association between emotional intelligence and IGD which then reduced wellbeing. Furthermore, impulsivity showed very strong association with IGD. Conclusion Interventions enhancing emotional intelligence among youth may account for some of the negative repercussions of impulsivity. There is need for further research in this area among youth from low and middle income countries to support the study findings. Association between IGD and participants background characteristics have also be discussed.