Internet gaming disorder associated with insomnia severity, psychoticism and paranoid ideation

Further, the study stated the association between IGDs and paranoid ideation was fully mediated by insomnia severity, while the association between IGDs and psychoticism was partially mediated by cyberbullying.

"Our findings suggest that insomnia and cyberbullying may be regarded as potential targets for youth mental health promotion, and community-focused prevention and early intervention in psychosis," the researchers wrote.

There has been no clarity so far on the nature of the relationship between internet gaming disorder and psychosis. Some previous studies have shown that a greater time spent playing video games may expose players to both insomnia and a toxic online environment with widespread cyberbullying. In turn, these two possible possible consequences of IGD may be associated with greater psychotic experiences (PE).

Based on the above theoretical framework, Feten Fekih-Romdhane, Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, Tunis El Manar University, Tunis, Tunisia, and colleagues proposed to contribute to the body of knowledge in this area, by testing the possible indirect effects of cyber-victimization, insomnia severity, and cyberbullying in the cross-sectional association between IGD and PE in a sample of Tunisian university students.

In the cross-sectional study conducted over 4 months, the Insomnia Severity Index, the Internet Gaming disorder-20 Test, the Revised Cyber Bullying Inventory-II, and the Brief Symptom Inventory were administered to 851 students (mean age = 21.26 ± 1.68 years, 53.7% females).

The researchers reported the following findings:

· 25% of students were at risk of IGD, and 1.8% had an IGD.

· The results of the mediation analysis showed that insomnia severity fully mediated the association between IGD and paranoid ideation.

· Higher IGD was significantly associated with more insomnia severity, which was, in turn, significantly associated with more paranoid ideation.

· Cyberbullying partly mediated the association between IGD and psychoticism.

· Higher IGD scores were significantly associated with more cyberbullying, which was, in turn, significantly associated with more psychoticism.

· Greater IGD was significantly and directly associated with higher psychoticism.

This study highlighted the mediating role of cyberbullying and insomnia severity in the IGD-psychoticism connections and IGD-paranoid ideation respectively.

The researchers suggest devoting more particular attention to the huge potential for engaging in cyberbullying among online gamers.

"Sleep deprivation should be prevented, assessed and treated in heavy gamers," they concluded.

Reference:

Fekih-Romdhane, F., Lamloum, E., Loch, A.A. et al. The relationship between internet gaming disorder and psychotic experiences: cyberbullying and insomnia severity as mediators. BMC Psychiatry 23, 857 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-05363-x