Negative Consequences Experienced by Individuals with Gaming Disorder Symptoms: A Systematic Review of Available Longitudinal Studies

Gaming disorder (GD) is a growing concern for health policies worldwide. The aim of the research presented here was to review systematically negative consequences of symptoms of GD by focusing on longitudinal studies that considered the temporal order of the effects.

A total of 48 longitudinal studies met the inclusion criteria. The analysis indicated that so far negative consequences of symptoms of GD pertaining to mental health, behavioural problems, social and interpersonal factors, psychological factors, and physical health have been investigated.

The most consistent finding is an association between symptoms of GD and depression. In addition, symptoms of GD are an important predictor for symptoms of GD in the future. For other domains, there are few studies and findings are mixed with several studies reporting no association with negative consequences. Future studies should further investigate negative consequences of gaming as well as moderating factors. Regarding prevention and intervention strategies, negative consequences can be addressed in motivational interventions to drive behaviour change.