Potential Correlates of Internet Gaming Disorder Among Indonesian Medical Students: Cross-sectional Study

Internet gaming disorder has been a controversial topic for nearly a decade. Although internet addiction has been studied in medical students, there is a paucity of evidence regarding internet gaming disorder. Previous studies in Indonesia explored only the prevalence rate and characteristics.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence rate of internet gaming disorder and correlations between internet gaming disorder, temperament, and psychopathology among Indonesian medical students.

A cross-sectional study was performed from August 2019 to September 2019 using total and convenience sampling at a private university and a public university, respectively. The study variables were measured using the Indonesian version of the 10-item Internet Gaming Disorder Test, the Temperament and Character Inventory, and the Symptoms Checklist 90. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between demographic factors, temperament, psychopathology, and the presence of internet gaming disorder.

Among the 639 respondents, the prevalence rate of internet gaming disorder was 2.03% (n=13), with a mean age of 20.23 (SD 0.13) years and an average gaming duration of 19.0 (SD 0.96) hours/week. Up to 71.2% respondents played using their mobile phones, and respondents with internet gaming disorder reported experiencing all psychopathologies assessed, except phobic anxiety. Bivariate analysis demonstrated that internet gaming disorder was associated with gender, gaming duration, gaming community affiliation, and 9 out of 10 domains of psychopathology. In a logistic regression model, internet gaming disorder was correlated with weekly gaming hours ≥20 hours (odds ratio [OR] 4.21, 95% CI 1.08-16.38, P=.04).

These findings suggest that the prevalence of internet gaming disorder among medical students in Jakarta, Indonesia is similar to that in other populations of Asian countries. The predisposing factor for internet gaming disorder was weekly gaming duration, while other demographic, temperament, and psychopathology variables acted as probable moderators. Strategies should, therefore, be developed and integrated into medical curriculum to screen and aid individuals with these predisposing factors.