Problematic Gaming Behavior Among Adolescents in Bangladesh

Abstract

With the increasing accessibility of digital technologies, problematic gaming behaviors, including Gaming Disorder (GD) and Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), have become growing public health concern among adolescents. These behaviors are shaped by a complex interplay of demographic, psychosocial, and environmental factors. This study examined the prevalence and correlates of GD and IGD among school-going adolescents in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the Kurigram district using stratified cluster sampling. A total of 1097 participants were assessed for GD and 1053 for IGD using the Gaming Disorder Test (GDT-4) and Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short Form (IGDS9-SF), respectively. Analyses were performed using SPSS version 27.0. The mean GD score was 6.14 ± 2.77, and the mean IGD score was 10.68 ± 4.38. Significant group differences in gaming scores were found by gender, age, substance use history, parental supervision, parent–child understanding, bullying, truancy, loneliness, and screen time. Multiple linear regression revealed that male gender, substance use, poor parental monitoring, poor parent–child relationships, bullying, loneliness, and daily internet use were significantly associated with gaming scores. The regression models explained a modest but meaningful proportion of variance (adjusted R² = 0.111 for GD; adjusted R² = 0.123 for IGD), indicating that additional unmeasured factors may contribute to gaming-related problems. These findings highlight the multifactorial nature of problematic gaming and highlight the need for multi-level interventions targeting family dynamics, digital behavior regulation, and peer interactions. Tailored prevention strategies addressing these modifiable risk factors may help mitigate gaming-related harms and promote healthier digital use among adolescents, particularly in low-resource settings.