Developmental Trajectories of Problematic Gaming among Chinese Migrant Children: Predictors and School Adjustment Outcomes

Problematic gaming has become an increasingly prominent developmental concern among youth, yet little is known about its heterogeneous developmental course, predictors, and school adjustment outcomes among Chinese migrant children. The present study examined developmental trajectories of problematic gaming from Grade 3 to Grade 6, identified family-, school-, and individual-level predictors of trajectory membership, and tested whether distinct trajectories were associated with later school adjustment. A total of 1,313 Chinese migrant children (Mean age = 9.42 years, SD = 0.51; 48.7% girls) participated in a six-wave longitudinal study with six-month intervals between waves. Growth mixture modeling identified four qualitatively distinct trajectories: low-decreasing, high-onset decreasing, moderate-onset increasing, and high-increasing. Multinomial logistic regression revealed that specific variables—namely autonomy-supportive parenting, peer victimization, self-control, and internalizing symptoms—significantly differentiated trajectory membership, whereas harsh punishment, psychological control, teacher emotional support, teacher maltreatment, self-concept clarity, and externalizing problems did not show significant unique predictive effects. Further analyses indicated that children in the escalating or persistently high-risk trajectories reported lower school engagement and school well-being at Wave 6 than those in the low-decreasing group, even after adjusting for baseline levels. These findings highlight the developmental heterogeneity of problematic gaming among Chinese migrant children and suggest that interventions targeting peer victimization, internalizing symptoms, and self-control, while enhancing autonomy-supportive parenting, may help reduce high-risk gaming trajectories and promote school adjustment.