Researchers out of Spain and Italy report a globally pooled Internet Gaming Disorder prevalence of 6.1% among adults ages 18–35. Internet Gaming Disorder is considered a condition for further study in DSM-5-TR, with official classification in ICD-11.
Gaming problems often get viewed as an adolescent concern, while evidence indicates growing vulnerability in young adults. Late adolescents and young adults tend to show higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, along with lower self-esteem, compared to healthy regular gamers.
ICD-11 includes three core diagnostic features, including inability to control gaming behavior, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities, and persistent gaming behavior despite negative consequences, present for a minimum of 12 months.
ICD-11 includes three core diagnostic features, including inability to control gaming behavior, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities, and persistent gaming behavior despite negative consequences, present for a minimum of 12 months.
Prior meta-analyses place prevalence in the general population from 3.05% to 6.7%, with variation across age groups and across countries or continents. Estimates for children and adolescents range from 1% to 9%, with an adolescent estimate of 4.6%.
Gaming can have consequences
Delayed timing for financial independence, stable relationships, and starting a family lines up with a slower, more gradual move into adult roles. Young adulthood can include ongoing developmental change plus major transitions in education, work, and social life, and that combination can leave some people more vulnerable to using gaming as a coping mechanism during that period.
In the study, “Prevalence of Internet gaming disorder in young adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis,” published in Addictive Behaviors, researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the global prevalence of Internet Gaming Disorder among young adults and identify moderators linked to variability.
Database searches used the Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, and PsycInfo, plus manual reference list searches that drew on prior systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Analytical samples from 93 studies included 149,601 participants ages 18–35, with an average age of 23.53 years (standard deviation of 6.28). 51.22% were female.
Prevalence estimates in primary samples ranged from 0% to 63% with a pooled prevalence of 6.1%. Gamer-only samples showed a pooled prevalence of 8.1% while mixed samples including gamers and non-gamers reached 5.47%.
Shifting numbers between studies
Different screening tools produced different prevalence estimates. Higher prevalence estimates appeared in samples assessed with the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale and DSM-5 criteria than in samples assessed with the Internet Gaming Disorder Test-10. Mixed samples showed lower prevalence estimates in samples assessed with the Game Addiction Scale than in samples assessed with the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale.
Larger sample sizes produced lower prevalence estimates in the full set of samples and in mixed samples. Trends suggested lower prevalence when there was a higher proportion of women in the samples, but the difference was non-significant.
The researchers conclude that strategies aimed at prevention and mental health interventions tailored to this age group are needed.