Gaming Disorder Across the Lifespan: a Scoping Review of Longitudinal Studies

Purpose of reviewGaming disorder is a mental disorder characterized by impaired control over gaming behaviors resulting in the escalation of gaming despite significant negative consequences and functional impairments. This scoping review aims to synthesize empirical evidence for the development of gaming disorder based solely on extant findings from longitudinal studies.Recent findingsAlthough research efforts investigating gaming disorder are expanding, there is a need to conceptualize this disorder from a developmental framework in order to identify trajectories of this disorder across the lifespan while accounting for both risk factors and consequences of GD.SummaryThe scoping review identified 57 research papers identifying antecedents (n=33), consequences (n=24), and variables having reciprocal relationships with GD (n=9). The temporal stability of GD differed based on age and study duration, ranging from 20 to 84%. Commonly reported risk factors for GD include emotion dysregulation and negative self-esteem, with depressive symptoms, inattentive symptoms, and social isolation being reciprocally associated with GD. Consequences of GD include increases in anxiety and poor parental relationships and decreases in life satisfaction and academic performance. Overall, various psychosocial factors interact to influence the development of GD across the lifespan, while certain consequences may maintain GD symptomatology.