Internet Gaming Disorder and Its Harmful Health Effects among the Medical Students in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Background: Online gaming has gained a lot of popularity due to easy accessibility of Internet-enabled devices. This has given rise to a new phenomenon of gaming addiction. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) published by American Psychiatric Association, in 2013, included the term Internet gaming disorder (IGD). Impact of IGD on physical and psychologic health warrants further exploration. Objectives and methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among medical students to find out the prevalence of IGD and the associated health effects. The study was conducted from July to September 2019. Data collection was carried out using a semistructured self-administered questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic profile, Pittsburgh sleep quality index, DSM-5 criteria for IGD and examination of participants. Data were entered and analyzed using frequency, percentage, and Chi-square test. Results: Almost three-fourth participants (72.2%) engaged in the online games out of which 30.9% had IGD. A higher proportion of male students were found to be suffering from IGD. Sleeping disorder was also found to be significantly more among those who had IGD. Conclusion: Prevalence of IGD was found to be high among medical students. The majority of gamers also faced various health consequences of which sleeping disorder was the major problem.