Unraveling the dynamic interaction with psychological resilience and social sensitivity in the development of Internet Gaming Disorder: a cross-lagged panel network analysis
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: : Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) has emerged as a significant global public health issue due to its adverse effects on mental health and social functioning. Converging evidence has underscored the crucial roles of psychological and social factors in the development of IGD, yet the causal pathways and interactive mechanisms linking IGD with these psychological and social functioning remain poorly understood. To address this gap, this two-year longitudinal study employed 11 standardized psychological assessments to evaluate 1,424 college participants at baseline (T1), with 394 completing follow-up (T2). Principal component analysis and exploratory factor analysis revealed a stable three-factor structure across two-year interval: addiction-impulsivity, psychological resilience, and social sensitivity. Network analyses further identified perceived stress and social phobia as the central hubs with highest centrality strength and expected influence (EI), highlighting their pivotal roles within IGD psychopathology network. Network comparison indicated significant structural changes in specific nodes from T1 to T2, with significantly heighted EI of social anxiety over two years. Crucially, cross-lagged panel network further uncovered the longitudinal causal pathways among variables, manifesting as the highest Out-EI of IGD positioning as the primary “driver” that predicts changes in other symptoms, and the highest In-EI of social phobia as the predominant “receiver” highly susceptible to influences from other factors. These findings provide a comprehensive architecture of IGD psychopathology network that illustrates how predisposing vulnerabilities and consequent disorders become dynamically entangled over time, highlighting critical nodal targets for precise interventions addressing both the driving and receiving elements of this psychopathological network.
Authors: Shiyu Zhong, Jiali Liu, Ofir Turel, Qinghua He, Haichao Zhao
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,880
Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, National University's Basic Research Foundation of China, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Humanities and Social Science Fund of Ministry of Education of China
OpenAlex ID: W7155099638