A pesar de la proliferación de estudios sobre deportes electrónicos, existe una falta de consenso en cuanto a la definición precisa de un jugador de deportes electrónicos. Los estudios han utilizado jugadores competitivos, jugadores casuales o jugadores recreativos como muestras, y esto plantea serios problemas para la generalización de sus resultados. El objetivo principal de esta revisión es llegar a una definición de lo que constituye un jugador de esports con el fin de establecer un estándar para futuros estudios. Esto se logra mediante el análisis de los diversos criterios que los investigadores de deportes electrónicos han utilizado para seleccionar a sus participantes. Métodos: Este estudio es una revisión sistemática de artículos empíricos. Se revisaron las bases de datos internacionales Web of Science, Scopus, Medline, SciELO y SpringerLink en busca de artículos en inglés y español que incluyeran el término esport o e-sport en el título, resumen o palabras clave, con muestras reportadas como jugadores de esports. Se seleccionó un total de 48 estudios para esta revisión. Se identificaron tres tipos de criterios definitorios: ser jugador profesional, formar parte de un equipo organizado y tener experiencia en competiciones. Adicionalmente, el “engagement”, entendido como la cantidad de tiempo dedicado a capacitarse y mejorar, también se menciona como un factor diferenciador clave. Finalmente, se propone una definición de jugadores de deportes electrónicos para ayudar a estandarizar los criterios de muestreo para futuras investigaciones.

Over the last few years, various studies have reported decreasing well-being levels among doctoral students, who show a higher risk of suffering from psychological distress than the general population. Accordingly, European policies in higher education encourage well-being promotion programs among doctoral studies to enhance young researchers’ well-being. However, programs using evidence-based practices for well-being promotion are not yet generalised in public universities. The present study describes a pilot experience designed to evaluate the efficacy of a well-being program among doctoral candidates of a public European university, the Autonomous University of Barcelona. 25 doctoral students (67% women) participated in a pre-post study consisting of six sessions of 3 h each and structured by the big five criteria coming from evidence-based practices for well-being promotion: outdoor green spaces exposure, physical activity, gamification, mentoring, positive and coaching psychology techniques. Results showed how participants experienced significant increases in several indicators of emotional well-being and decreased psychological distress after the Third Half program. These positive pilot results encourage further research and future replications to assess the impact of this evidence-based psychological program among the academic community. Results also lead the way towards the creation of healthier academic workplaces by implementing cost-effective interventions that improve researchers’ psychosocial support and their overall well-being.

The rapid rise of esports has prompted growing concern for the mental health of esports athletes. Gaining a better understanding of the mental health status of esports athletes is crucial to recognize the health risks associated with the industry, as well as inform targeted mental health interventions. Thus, the aim of the current study was to examine the mental health status of a large sample of esports athletes, spanning different performance levels and esports titles. Using a cross-sectional survey, we examined the well-being and symptoms of common mental disorders, in an international sample of 1,105 esports athletes. Overall, 36.7% of participants reported low well-being, 44.7% experienced symptoms of depression, 33.4% experienced anxiety, and 69.3% experienced sleep disturbance. The findings suggest that the mental health burden of esports athletes may be greater than previously reported. Moreover, esports athletes of higher competitive levels and females reported higher symptoms of mental ill-health but also higher well-being, relative to esports athletes of lower competitive levels and males, respectively. Future research is needed to better understand and explain this mental health burden within esports. Additionally, this study highlights the urgent need for the design, implementation, and evaluation of context-specific targeted mental health interventions in esports.

Currently, the study of esports is growing within the field of psychology. Among the different variables attracting interest — including stress or psychological factors associated with performance — an emerging concept known as tilt is gaining prominence in the literature. However, this construct has yet to be operationalized or defined. Thus, the present study aims to address this gap by defining and conceptualizing TILT while devising and validating a questionnaire to measure the construct in esports players. The initial phase of the study comprised 27 interviews conducted with professional players (n = 6), semi-professionals (n = 8), amateurs (n = 8), and coaches (n = 5) to characterize the concept of tilt. Following these interviews, a definition of tilt was formulated, and a panel of five experts in sports psychology and esports proposed a comprehensive set of 53 items. A total of 488 participants (278 males, 210 females), aged 18–50 (mean age = 26.9 years, SD = 7.57), completed the survey, including the 53 tilt items, a questionnaire measuring toxic behavior, and the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form (IGDS9-SF). The tilt construct is primarily characterized as a state of frustration escalating into anger, resulting in diminished performance, attention, and recurring negative thoughts about errors. Its onset typically coincides with stressful situations, persisting for approximately 30 min. Through an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), 18 items were retained and categorized into two factors: Causes (7 Items) and Consequences (11 Items) of tilt. The entire questionnaire yielded a Cronbach’s α of 0.922, with the first and second factors showing values of 0.854 and 0.890, respectively. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) revealed an acceptable fit for the 2-factor solution. Correlations with related constructs, such as Toxic Behavior and IGD, provided preliminary evidence of external validity. Empirical evidence for the validity and internal consistency of the Tilt Scale is robust, indicating its potential utility in future research on the psychological experiences of esports players.

Structural characteristics of video games influence the development of maladaptive behavioral patterns such as Internet gaming disorder (IGD). The aim of this study was to develop and validate a tool to evaluate users’ perceptions of video game structural features. The sample was composed of 502 gamers with an average age of 23.35 years ( SD = 6.89). In total, 67.3% used a personal computer, 20.7% a desktop console, 11.4% a mobile platform, and 0.6% a portable console. Multiple exploratory factor analyses were conducted to identify the optimal model. Initial evidence of reliability, construct, and external validity was found (TLI and CFI > .90, RMSEA < .06, SRMR < .08). Structural features were categorized into three primary factors: social, control, and reward. After a multiple linear regression, structural features and gaming motivations explain 19% of the variance in IGD. In conclusion, the scale demonstrates solid psychometric properties for assessing how Spanish-speaking players perceive the structural characteristics of video games and how these relate to the development of IGD.

Background: Adolescence is a period marked by significant physical, psychological, and emotional changes as youngsters transition into adulthood. During this time, many adolescents consume alcohol, and in some cases, this leads to binge drinking, a behavior associated with various health risks and other problematic behaviors. However, knowledge about binge drinking in this population remains limited. Additionally, many adolescents engage in intensive technology use, which has been linked to mental health issues and substance abuse. Stress is often considered a precursor to both alcohol consumption and problematic internet use. In this context, emotional regulation could serve as a protective factor. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the relationship between stress, problematic internet use, emotional regulation, and binge drinking among adolescents using structural equation modeling. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was completed by a sample of 876 high school adolescents (63.57% female, mean age 16.86 years). Data were collected using an online survey, which included sociodemographic information and measures of perceived stress, emotional regulation, excessive alcohol consumption, and problematic internet use. Problematic alcohol use was assessed using several questions adapted from the ‘Survey on Drug Use in Secondary Education in Spain’. Results: Problematic internet use emerged as a mediator between stress and binge drinking, suggesting that stress contributes to the development of problematic internet use, which in turn increases the likelihood of binge drinking. Furthermore, stress was negatively correlated with emotional regulation, indicating that inadequate emotional management may predispose adolescents to problematic internet use and binge drinking. The complex interplay between stress, emotional regulation, problematic internet use, and binge drinking underscores the need for comprehensive interventions targeting these factors among adolescents. Conclusions: The results provide insights into potential pathways linking stress and binge drinking via problematic internet use and highlight the importance of emotional regulation as a protective mechanism against maladaptive behaviors.