Longitudinal relationship between gaming disorder symptoms, hyperactivity/inattention symptoms and aggression among Chinese adolescents: Within-person and between-person effects

Abstract

Gaming disorder is a global issue that impacts adolescents’ social development. Aggression and hyperactivity/inattention symptoms have been suggested as core risk factors and adverse consequences for gaming disorder symptoms. However, longitudinal studies on the directionality of these relationships are scarce, and most do not distinguish within-person and between-person effects. To address this gap, a one-year longitudinal study was performed using data collected in three waves from 1296 Chinese adolescents (M_age = 13.73 ± 1.49, aged 11–17 years, 50.85% girls). We applied random intercept and traditional cross-lagged panel models to examine the within-person and between-person effects. At the within-person level, findings suggested a unidirectional relationship that gaming disorder symptoms increased the symptoms of hyperactivity/inattention and aggression, but not vice versa. The between-person results showed significant relationships between these variables, and that hyperactivity/inattention symptoms were a mediating mechanism for the longitudinal relationship between gaming disorder symptoms and aggression. These findings deepen the directional understanding of the relationships between them, and emphasize the critical role of gaming disorder symptoms in the development of hyperactivity/inattention symptoms and aggression among adolescents.