Background and Aims: Using gaming to escape emotional difficulty has been suggested to be a candidate mechanism contributing to Internet gaming disorder (IGD). This study evaluated the associations among resilience, perceived stress, depression, and IGD. Methods: A total of 87 participants in an IGD group and 87 participants in a control group were recruited into this study. IGD was diagnosed using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Stress levels, resilience, and depression were measured by a self-reported questionnaire. Results: The IGD group had a lower resilience, higher perceived stress, and depression than the control group. Hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated that resilience was associated with IGD when perceived stress was controlled. After depression was controlled, resilience and perceived stress were not associated with IGD. Among the IGD group, those with low resilience had higher depression. Furthermore, discipline was the resilience characteristic associated with IGD. Conclusions: Low resilience was associated with a higher risk of IGD. IGD individuals with low resilience had higher depression. Depression was more associated with IGD than resilience. Depression assessments and stress coping interventions should be provided for individuals with IGD who exhibit low resilience or high stress.

People diagnosed with Internet gaming disorder (IGD) have been frequently reported to experience depression, anxiety, and hostility. Emotional regulation contributes to these mood symptoms. This study evaluated emotional regulation in subjects with IGD and examined relationships between emotional regulation, depression, anxiety, and hostility in young adults with IGD. We recruited 87 people with IGD and a control group of 87 people without a history of IGD. All participants underwent a diagnostic interview based on the IGD criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, and they completed a questionnaire on emotional regulation, depression, anxiety, and hostility. We found that subjects with IGD were less likely to practice cognitive reappraisal and were more likely to suppress their emotions. Linear regression revealed the higher cognitive reappraisal and lower expressive suppression associated with depression, anxiety, and hostility among subjects with IGD. The emotional regulation strategies that characterize those with IGD could be contributing factors to the depression and hostility tendencies of these people. When treating patients with IGD, in addition to providing appropriate interventions to relieve depression and hostility, practitioners should effectively assess emotional regulation strategies and provide emotional regulation therapy to prevent a vicious cycle of negative emotions.

The aims of this study were to evaluate the predicting effects of psychological inflexibility/experiential avoidance (PI/EA) and stress coping strategies for Internet addiction, significant depression and suicidality among college students during the follow-up period of one year. A total of 500 college students participated in this study. The level of PI/EA and stress coping strategies were evaluated initially. One year later, 324 participants were invited to complete the Chen Internet Addiction Scale, Beck Depression Inventory-II and the questionnaire for suicidality to evaluate depression symptoms and internet addiction and suicidality. The predicting effects of PI/EA and stress coping strategies were examined by using logistic regression analysis controlling for the effects of gender and age. The results indicated that PI/EA at the initial assessment increased the risk of Internet addiction (OR = 1.087, 95% CI: 1.042–1.135), significant depression (OR = 1.125, 95% CI: 1.081–1.170), and suicidality (OR = 1.099, 95% CI: 1.053–1.147) at the follow-up assessment. Less effective coping at the initial assessment also increased the risk of Internet addiction (OR = 1.074, 95% CI: 1.011–1.140), significant depression (OR = 1.091, 95% CI: 1.037–1.147), and suicidality (OR = 1.074, 95% CI: 1.014–1.138) at the follow-up assessment. Problem focused and emotion-focus coping at the initial assessment was not significantly associated with the risks of Internet addiction, significant depression, and suicidality at the follow-up assessment. College students who have high PI/EA or are accustomed to using less effective stress coping strategies should be the target of prevention programs for IA (internet addiction), depression, and suicidality.

Aim: Gaming escapism is an essential factor for developing internet gaming disorder (IGD). We evaluated coping strategies, resilience, stress, and depression in individuals with IGD. Methods: We included 69 participants with IGD and 138 controls (69 regular gamers and other non-gamers) in Taiwan. The self-reported coping strategies, coping stress with gaming, resilience, perceived stress, and depression were assessed. Results: Participants with IGD had higher dysfunctional coping, coping stress by gaming, perceived stress, and depression, as well as lower problem-focused coping and resilience. Regression analysis revealed that coping by gaming was associated with dysfunctional coping mechanisms, particularly venting and self-distraction. Compared with participants with adequate resilience, those with lower resilience had higher perceived stress, depression, and coping by gaming, and lower problem-focused and emotion-focused coping. Dysfunctional coping and coping by gaming were associated with perceived stress and depression in both IGD and control groups. Problem-focused coping was negatively associated with perceived stress and depression in controls. Conclusion: Individuals with IGD had higher perceived stress and depression, as they were more likely to cope with stress by dysfunctional coping and gaming and less likely to try problem-focused coping, particularly those with lower resilience. Interventions for IGD should promote problem-focused coping, such as active coping and planning strategies, particularly among those with lower resilience.

This cross-sectional questionnaire study examined factors related to affiliate stigma among caregivers of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the association of affiliate stigma with caregivers’ unfavorable attitude toward ADHD and moderators. The affiliate stigma of 400 caregivers of children with ADHD was assessed using the Affiliate Stigma Scale. Caregivers’ and children’s factors related to affiliate stigma were examined using multiple regression analysis. Associations of affiliate stigma with caregivers’ unfavorable attitudes toward children’s diagnoses, pharmacotherapy, behavioral therapy, and biological explanations of the etiologies of ADHD were examined using logistic regression analysis. Female caregivers and those caring for girls with ADHD had higher levels of affiliate stigma than did male caregivers and those caring for boys. Higher education levels in caregivers and more severe inattention symptoms in children were associated with higher levels of affiliate stigma. A higher level of affiliate stigma was also significantly associated with unfavorable attitudes toward children’s diagnoses, pharmacotherapy and behavioral therapy, and etiological explanations for ADHD. Multiple factors of caregivers and children were related to affiliate stigma in caregivers of children with ADHD. Affiliate stigma is significantly associated with caregivers’ unfavorable attitude toward ADHD.

This prospective study evaluated the predictive ability of psychiatric symptoms at initial consultation for the occurrence and remission of Internet addiction during a 1-year follow-up period among college students. Furthermore, it evaluated the predictive ability of changes in psychiatric symptoms for Internet addiction at the initial consultation during the 1-year follow-up period among college students. Five hundred college students (262 women and 238 men) were recruited. The baseline and follow-up consultations measured the levels of Internet addiction and psychiatric symptoms using the Chen Internet Addiction Scale and Symptom Checklist-90 Revised, respectively. The results indicated that severe interpersonal sensitivity and paranoia symptoms might predict the incidence of Internet addiction at 1-year follow-up. The college students with internet addiction did not have significant improvement in the severities of psychopathology, whereas those without internet addiction had significant improvement in obsession-compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, paranoid and psychoticism during the same period. Psychiatric symptoms and Internet addiction exhibited bidirectional relationships in college students during the 1-year follow-up period.