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Adolescent Problem Gambling and Gaming in the Hierarchical Structure of Psychopathology

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Abstract

Research suggests that certain mental health disorders are likely to co-occur, with higher order dimensions of psychopathology being discernable. Specifically, mental health disorders tend to be organized into two general dimensions: internalizing and externalizing disorders. Despite substantial evidence supporting this hierarchical structure, no studies have integrated both recognized forms of behavioral addictions, gambling and gaming disorders, into this model utilizing a sample of adolescents. The objective of this study is to examine how risk for problem gambling (PG) and problem video gaming (PVG) load onto the higher order structure of psychopathology. Survey responses were collected from 6,413 adolescents (50.4% male, Mage = 14.74 years, 80.2% White) from Wood County, Ohio. Measures included frequency of gambling, PG symptoms, frequency of video gaming, PVG symptoms, symptoms of depression and anxiety, aggressive problems, and delinquency. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted and data were fit to a two-factor structure. PG symptoms loaded most highly on the externalizing factor (B = 0.18, SE = 0.02), and PVG symptoms loaded similarly on the externalizing (B = 0.32, SE = 0.02) and internalizing (B = 0.24, SE = 0.02) factors. Model fit indices indicated that the model in which PG and PVG were loaded on the externalizing factor provided the best fit. Exploratory analyses were suggestive of an alternative three-factor model which improved model fit. Findings suggest that youth prevention and intervention approaches need to address behavioral addictions early while considering the impact of other commonly associated problems.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author and will be reasonably considered on a case-by-case basis. The data are not publicly available due to the privacy of research participants.

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Funding

Jérémie Richard received doctoral fellowships from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et Culture (FRQSC): Programme de bourse sur le jeu responsable. No funding agencies had input into the content of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Jérémie Richard, Caroline Temcheff & Jeffrey Derevensky

  2. Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board of Wood County Ohio, Bowling Green, OH, USA

    William Ivoska

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  1. Jérémie Richard
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Correspondence to Jérémie Richard.

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All participants were involved in the informed consent and debriefing process in compliance with ethical standards. The study was performed in accordance with the ethical standards as laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments. The study was approved by the ADAMHS ethics committee.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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CRediT Statement

Jérémie Richard: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Methodology, Software, Validation, Visualization, Writing-original draft, Writing-review and editing. Caroline Temcheff: Conceptualization, Methodology, Supervision, Writing-review and editing. William Ivoska: Data curation, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Funding acquisition, Resources, Supervision, Writing-review and editing. Jeffrey Derevensky: Conceptualization, Methodology, Supervision,, Writing-review and editing.

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Richard, J., Temcheff, C., Ivoska, W. et al. Adolescent Problem Gambling and Gaming in the Hierarchical Structure of Psychopathology. Int J Ment Health Addiction (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-023-01032-y

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