Understanding Gaming Disorder: a Network Analysis of Impaired Control, Impulsivity, Mood, Coping, and Game Flow

This study investigates the relationships between gaming disorder (GD) and associated variables using network analysis. GD, as described in the ICD-11, has essential features that include impaired control, increasing prioritisation of gaming, and continued engagement despite negative consequences. The present study integrates variables from theoretical frameworks including the Compensatory-Dissociative Online Gaming (C-DOG) model and the Interaction of Person-Affect-Execution (I-PACE) model. The study aims to visually represent and analyse the intricate connections among impaired control, impulsivity, mood, coping styles, and flow experiences in GD using network analysis. A cross-sectional online survey via Qualtrics recruited 586 adult gamers, predominantly male (77.8%), and examined gaming behaviour, GD status, and psychological measures. Data were analysed at the domain, facet, and item levels, with edge strength and centrality stability coefficients assessing robustness. Network analysis showed that, at the domain level, GD was linked to impaired control, mood, and coping strategies, while impulsivity was not directly associated. At the facet level, impaired control was associated with flow and, while avoidance coping and dissociation were associated with impaired control at the item level. The findings highlight the associations between impaired control and mood disturbances in GD. Coping strategies, particularly avoidance coping, and dissociative experiences were found to be integral parts of GD. GD appears to serve as a maladaptive strategy for managing stress, with flow experiences possibly depleting self-control. This work indicates a need for targeted interventions addressing mood regulation and coping strategies to mitigate GD risk, especially among highly stressed individuals. Future research should employ longitudinal designs to elucidate risk factors and causal mechanisms in gaming disorders.