The effects of video games on youths have been subject to debate. Some researchers have linked video games to behavioral and emotional problems, while others have found no adverse effects. The behavioral and emotional problems experienced by some gamers may be linked to certain types of video games. We hypothesized that Mexican American youths with lower socioeconomic status and who play “aggressive” video games have more emotional and behavioral problems than those who do not play such games. We examined a total of 579 youths using the Child Behavior Checklist and analyzing the games played within the last 6 months. Youths who played aggressive video games had higher scores and more emotional and behavioral problems compared with those who did not play aggressive video games.
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