Longitudinal Dynamic Relationships Between Videogame Use and Symptoms of Gaming Disorder and Depression Among Chinese Children and Adolescents

Although previous studies have shown a close relationship between gaming disorder and depressive symptoms, few have measured normal videogame use, symptoms of gaming disorder, and depressive symptoms concurrently. The longitudinal dynamics between these variables remain unclear. This study used two demographic cohorts to examine the longitudinal relationship between gaming and depressive symptoms: children (n = 1513, 46.9% girls, M_age ± SD = 9.63 ± 0.58 years) and adolescents (n = 1757, 48.5% girls, M_age ± SD = 12.55 ± 0.70 years). Random intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs) were employed to distinguish between within- and between-person levels of gaming and depressive symptoms. The RI-CLPM results showed a stable link between symptoms of gaming disorder and depression at the between-person level for both children and adolescents. At the within-person level, among children, depressive symptoms positively predicted subsequent gaming disorder symptoms, but gaming disorder symptoms were not a significant predictor of depressive symptoms at this level. Among adolescents, there was no significant cross-lagged effect between symptoms of gaming disorder and depression at the within-person level. Additionally, there was no significant cross-lagged effect between normal videogame use and depressive symptoms in either cohort. These results highlight the different effects of normal videogame use and gaming disorder symptoms associated with depressive symptoms. The different effects on children and adolescents underscore the importance of considering the different developmental stages in the study of gaming and mental health outcomes.