New Tool Reveals How Gaming Problems Evolve
This new evaluation scale shows that gaming issues don’t appear overnight—they develop step by step, from excitement to compulsion. The tool is more reliable than current methods and could help spot risks early and guide better support for gamers. Stefano Pallanti, also an author of the PG-YBOCS (Pathological Gambling evaluation tool), is among the study’s authors.
Introduction: Existing diagnosis systems, such as DSM-5 and ICD-11, predominantly rely on a dichotomous approach, flat, cross-sectional definitions of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) that fail to capture the persistent, evolving nature and may contribute to heterogeneity. Applying a clinical staging approach, we propose that IGD spans a continuum with early stages marked by euphoria from gaming and later stages by compulsive gaming. This study aimed to empirically identify distinct IGD stages.
Methods: Employing a mixed design with three Chinese gamer samples (adolescent: N = 2,061, Mage = 16.90 for main study; longitudinal cohort: N = 662, Mage = 17.03 for transition analysis; young adult: N = 741, Mage = 23.68 for validation), participants completed the Stages of Internet Gaming Disorder Scale (S-IGDS), a self-developed tool assessing core phenotypes, plus measures of craving, IGD symptoms, gaming experiences and life satisfaction. Latent Profile Analysis and k-means clustering identified distinct stages; Latent Transition Analysis tested stage progression. Psychometric properties of the S-IGDS were evaluated.
Results: Three stages were identified: Stage 0 (Non-IGD), Stage 1 (Early Risk-IGD), and Stage 2 (Later IGD), progressing from a "high euphoria" phase to a "high compulsivity" phase. The results from LPA and k-means clustering were highly consistent. The S-IGDS exhibited a stable factor structure and robust psychometric properties. Stage progression showed moderate one-year stability (56.83%), with a high probability (74.2% to 98.2%) of transition to adjacent stages. Patterns were similar in young adults.
Conclusions: This study provides novel evidence for distinct, empirically-derived IGD stages, highlighting the progression defined by the interplay of euphoria and compulsivity. The S-IGDS offers a reliable and valid tool for assessing an individual's status along the IGD continuum. This provides a more nuanced understanding of IGD and paves the way for personalized and stratified interventions.
Keywords: Clinical staging; Compulsivity; Euphoria; Internet gaming disorder; Latent profile analysis; Latent transition analysis.
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