Problematic online gaming and gambling among first-year university students : identification of profiles and psychological vulnerabilities
Granero, Roser (Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge)
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Psicobiologia i de Metodologia de les Ciències de la Salut
Fernández Aranda, Fernando (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición)
Demetrovics, Zsolt (Flinders University. Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing)
Jiménez Murcia, Susana (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición)

Publicació:	Springer International Publishing AG, 2026
Descripció:	30 pàg.
Resum:	Background and aims. Problematic engagement in online gaming and gambling has been linked to a range of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral risk factors, yet the mechanisms underlying the severity of these behaviors remain underexplored within high-risk populations such as first-year university students. This study aimed to identify variables associated with internet gaming disorder (IGD) and online gambling disorder (OGD), and to examine potential mediating mechanisms influencing the severity of these addictive behaviors through path analysis. Methods. A total of 273 first-year undergraduate students participated in the study. IGD and OGD measures, cognitive distortions, impulsivity, emotion regulation, risk of social media and internet use and psychological distress were analyzed. Results. 32. 6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 27. 0% to 38. 2%) reported problematic gaming use and 1. 8% (95%CI: 0. 2% to 3. 4%) met criteria for IGD. Problematic OGD was identified in 7. 0% (95%CI: 3. 9% to 10. 0%) participants, and 2. 2% (95%CI: 0. 5% to 3. 9%) met criteria for OGD. Path analysis showed that: (a) IGD severity was primarily associated with male gender, higher use of social media and the internet, cognitive biases, and difficulties in emotion regulation; (b) OGD severity was mainly associated with male gender and gambling-related cognitive biases; and (c) the relationships of the students' gender and age with IGD and OGD severity were mediated by cognitive biases, impulsivity, emotion dysregulation, and use of social media and the internet. Conclusions. Cognitive processes, emotional mechanisms, male gender and frequent social media use constitute key targets for early detection and preventive interventions among first-year university students.
Ajuts:	Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2021-124887OB-I00 Instituto de Salud Carlos III DTS22/00072 European Commission 101080219 Generalitat de Catalunya 2021/SGR-00824 Instituto de Salud Carlos III FORT23/00032
Nota:	Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de CRUE-CSUC
Nota:	Altres ajuts: RG and FFA were supported by ICREA Academia (2021 and 2024, respectively)
Drets:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Llengua:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Matèria:	Internet Gaming ; Online Gambling ; University Students ; Online Social ; Networking ; Path analysis
Publicat a:	Journal of Gambling Studies, Published online: 04 March 2026, ISSN 1573-3602

DOI: 10.1007/s10899-026-10476-5
PMID: 41779278

30 p, 1.6 MB

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