Problematic Gaming during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression

Author:

Imperato Chiara1ORCID,Giardina Alessandro2ORCID,Manari Tommaso1ORCID,Albano Antonio3ORCID,Franceschini Christian3ORCID,Schimmenti Adriano4ORCID,Musetti Alessandro1ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Cultural Industries, University of Parma, 43121 Parma, Italy

2. Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland

3. Department of Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy

4. Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, UKE—Kore University of Enna, 94100 Enna, Italy

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic led to government measures enforcing isolation in order to mitigate the spread of the virus. Consequently, online activities, including gaming, increased during this challenging period. Thus, it was possible that problematic gaming (PG) patterns also increased. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we estimated the prevalence of PG during the COVID-19 pandemic and examined differences among subpopulations. The evaluation of 38 studies revealed that the overall prevalence of PG during the COVID-19 pandemic was 3.6%. Furthermore, higher PG scores were found in undergraduate and gamer subpopulations, as well as in studies using the Gaming Addiction Scale. Finally, meta-regression analyses suggest that stricter government measures, as identified by the Government Stringency Index, may have contributed to a lower prevalence of PG behaviors. A potential explanation of this finding is that containment measures had a protective function with respect to emotional distress, and thus towards PG; alternatively, it could be that current measures for PG become less precise if an individual’s functioning is already impaired due to other reasons, such as COVID-19 restrictions. Further theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Publisher

MDPI AG

Subject

Health Information Management,Health Informatics,Health Policy,Leadership and Management

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