Do Individuals with Internet Gaming Disorder Share Personality Traits with Substance-Dependent Individuals?

Julie Giustiniani, Magali Nicolier, Madeline Pascard, Caroline Masse, Pierre Vandel, Djamila Bennabi, Sophia Achab, Frédéric Mauny and Emmanuel Haffen
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Julie Giustiniani: Department of Clinical Psychiatry, University Hospital of Besançon, 25000 Besançon, France
Magali Nicolier: Department of Clinical Psychiatry, University Hospital of Besançon, 25000 Besançon, France
Madeline Pascard: UMETh—Inserm Centre Investigation Clinique 1431, CHU Besançon, 2 Place Saint-Jacques, 25030 Besançon, France
Caroline Masse: Department of Clinical Psychiatry, University Hospital of Besançon, 25000 Besançon, France
Pierre Vandel: Department of Clinical Psychiatry, University Hospital of Besançon, 25000 Besançon, France
Djamila Bennabi: Department of Clinical Psychiatry, University Hospital of Besançon, 25000 Besançon, France
Sophia Achab: Sociological and Clinical Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Psychiatry Department, Geneva University, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Frédéric Mauny: UMETh—Inserm Centre Investigation Clinique 1431, CHU Besançon, 2 Place Saint-Jacques, 25030 Besançon, France
Emmanuel Haffen: Department of Clinical Psychiatry, University Hospital of Besançon, 25000 Besançon, France

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 15, 1-15

Abstract: (1) Background: Internet gaming disorder (IGD) shares many similarities with substance use disorder (SUD), contributing to its recognition as an addictive disorder. Nevertheless, no study has compared IGD to other addictive disorders in terms of personality traits established as highly co-occurring with SUDs. (2) Methods: We recruited a sample of gamers (massively multiplayer online role-playing games) (MMORPGs) via online in-game forums. We compared 83 individuals with IGD (MMORPG-IGD group) to 47 former heroin addicts under methadone maintenance treatment (MMT; MMT group) with regard to alexithymia, impulsivity, sensation seeking and aggressiveness assessed through self-administered scales, being TAS-20, BIS-10, Z-SSS and BDHI, respectively. (3) Results: Our results draw a relatively similar personality profile between groups but indicate that the subject traits are generally more pronounced in the MMT cohort. The overall lesser intensity of these traits in the MMORPG-IGD group might reflect the greater variability in the severity of the IGD. (4) Conclusions: IGD shares personality traits with MMT, and intensity may be influenced by the severity of the addiction or by certain direct environmental factors, and might also influence the propensity towards one behavior rather than another.

Keywords: internet gaming disorder; alexithymia; impulsivity; sensation seeking; aggressiveness; substance use disorder (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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