The prevalence of computer game addiction and related factors in male adolescent of Gonabad in 2018

Abstract

Background and Aim: Computer games are a kind of growing and attractive new communication technology. This has prompted researchers to study the effects of these games on users. This study was performed aims to determine was performed the prevalence of computer game addiction and related factors in male adolescent boys of Gonabad in 2018. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study, 507 male students of the first-grade in Gonabad were examined by multi-stage sampling method. Data collection tools were included in two sections: Demographic information and the Lummens Computer Games addiction questionnaire. The data were analyzed by using SPSS software (Version 19) with the help of the Chi-square and Fisher's exact test. Results: The average age of the students in this study was 13.5 ±1 years. The most popular feature of computer games is a lot of excitement (42%), competitive games (29%) and the most common types of computer games were football (48.9%) and violent games (21.7%). 28.4% of students went to Game Center to play computer games. The prevalence of dependence on computer games was moderate to high (73.2%) It showed a significant relationship with the level of education of the mother (P = 0.03), playing computer games by the parents (P <0.001) and the educational level of the students (P = 0.04). Conclusion: The results showed that the highest level of dependence of students was at the intermediate level, which indicates the importance of the problem and the need for the authorities to intervene in this field. Key Words: Addiction, Computer Game; Male adolescent; Prevalence; Student