Internet Gaming and Depressive Symptoms Among Young Adults

Abstract

Internet gaming had become increasingly prevalent among young adults, raising concerns about its impact on mental health, particularly depression. The present study investigated the predictive role of internet gaming in determining depressive symptoms among young adults. It was hypothesized that 1) internet gaming will positively predict depressive symptoms among young adults, 2) male internet gamers will report higher levels of depressive symptoms compared to female internet gamers. A cross-sectional survey design was employed, recruiting young adults aged 18–25. Participants were given consent form followed by demographic information sheet, Internet Gaming Disorder Scale -IGD-20 (Pontes et al., 2014) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 PHQ-9 (Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W). After data collection, the results were interpreted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, Version 21). Descriptive statistics and inferential analyses, including linear regression and independent samples t-tests, were conducted. The results revealed that internet gaming significantly and positively predicted depressive symptoms among young adults (F (1, 398) = 73.55, p < .001, R² = .156). Furthermore, male internet gamers reported notably higher levels of depressive symptoms (M = 12.97, SD = 5.21) than female gamers (M = 7.95, SD = 6.04), t (398) = 8.88, p < .001, Cohen’s d = 0.90. Gender differences were also observed in gaming scores, with males (M = 77.61, SD = 8.01) scoring higher than females (M = 69.46, SD = 8.24), t (398) = 9.88, p < .001, Cohen’s d = 1.00, Supporting both study hypotheses. These findings highlight the importance of monitoring internet gaming behaviors in relation to youth mental health. The findings contributed to the understanding of how internet gaming relates to depressive symptoms in young adults and highlighted the need for targeted interventions to promote healthy gaming habits and reduce mental health risks.