Work

Video Game addiction among a Tunisian cohort of adolescents: Incidence and associated factors

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: Background The concept of Video Game addiction is not yet recognized in the scientific literature. However, several authors suggest relating excessive video game attachment to addiction behavior, especially among adolescents. The aim of the study is to determine the incidence of video game addiction and its associated risk factors among high school students during the 2018/2019 school year in the governorate of Sousse. Methods A prospective longitudinal study with a one-year follow-up was conducted among 404 high school students enrolled in four high schools randomly selected from the governorate of Sousse. The same questionnaire was self-administered to participants in their classrooms in 2017/2018 and then in 2018/2019. The Arabic version of the ‘Game Addiction Scale for Adolescents' was used to detect possible video game addiction. Results The mean age of participants was 16.4 ± 1.1 years. Girls represented 66.8% of the sample. During the 2018/2019 school year, 25 adolescent became addicted to video games, with an incidence rate of 6.2%. This incidence was of 10.4% among boys and 4.1% among girls (p = 0.012). Smoking, experimenting cannabis and inhalants were significantly associated with the transition to video game addiction with odds ratio of 3.3 [1.1-9.5], 8.0 [1.9-34.3] and 12.1 [2.5-57.6] respectively. Conclusions The current study highlights the extent of video game addiction among adolescents in the governorate of Sousse. A comprehensive approach to prevent and manage cross addictions must be implemented in the schools of Tunisia. Key messages Incidence of video game addiction is high in high-school adolescents of Sousse. Comprehensive prevention program targeting behavioral addictions and substances use is required in Tunisia.

Source: European Journal of Public Health

DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckab165.567