Relationship Between Internet Gaming Disorder, Impulsivity, and Social Anxiety Disorder in a Sample of University Students

Abstract Background Playing video games has become one of the most popular entertainment events around the world, especially since the inception of online multiplayer games featuring both collaboration and competition. Videogames are often an enjoyable way of reducing stress, socializing with friends, and spending time. Due to the “flow” status of playing games, the player gets a sense of control, loses sense of time and place, and finds playing self-rewarding. Nevertheless, a minority of players may suffer from “disordered gaming” when excessive usage of video games becomes pathologic and dysfunctional. Objective To determine the frequency of Internet Gaming Disorder among a sample of Egyptian university students and to investigate the relation between IGD, impulsivity and Social Anxiety. Methods A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted at two faculties at the University of Sadat city, Menoufia governorate, Egypt on 250 students from February 2023 till October 2023. A structured clinical interview was conducted, and participants fill a questionnaire in Arabic to assess socio-demographic data, including age, sex, marital status, residency, socioeconomic status, family history of psychiatric illness, smoking, faculty, and academic achievement in the previous semester. The questionnaire also included the Arabic version of the following four scales, Young Internet Addiction test (IAT), Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) Scale, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale(BIS), Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale(LSAS). Results The mean IGD score was 2.84±2.32. Approximately half of the sample (49.20%) exhibited normal gaming patterns, while 36.00% displayed risky gaming behaviors, and 14.80% met criteria for disordered gaming. The mean BIS score was 72.77±13.31. The majority of participants (76.0%) demonstrated moderate impulsivity, with 12.4% exhibiting low impulsivity and 11.6% displaying severe impulsivity. The mean LSAS score was 105.53±29.11. Most participants (48.4%) fell within the moderate social anxiety range, followed by 41.2% with mild social anxiety, and 10.4% experiencing severe social anxiety. Significant positive correlations were found between IGD scores and both BIS and LSAS scores, as well as their respective subscales, among our sample. Conclusion This study highlights the importance of addressing IGD as a growing public health concern, particularly among young adults transitioning to university life. The interplay between IGD, impulsivity, and social anxiety rise the need for comprehensive interventions targeting these interrelated issues.