Internet gaming disorder among medical students: An observational study from Central Kerala, India

Background: The development of information technology has popularized Internet gaming as a leisure time activity. India is currently ranked fifth among the list of top countries by game downloads globally. This makes a subset of the population of India, especially the young and adolescents, extremely vulnerable to the harms associated with excessive digital gaming. Although, most of the time, playing video games is harmless and even may be associated with cognitive, social, or physical benefits, excessive use of playing games can lead to various health problems in some individuals. Objective: The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of problematic gaming among medical students in Central Kerala by Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGDT)-10 questionnaire using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5) scale. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate MBBS students across Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Ernakulam districts. Data were collected using a ten-item IGDT-10-English version and analyzed by DSM-5 scale. Data on demographic details and information about gaming were expressed as proportions with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: The prevalence of problematic gaming among medical students in Central Kerala is 6.98%. Playing video games (χ2 = 190.10, P = 0.001) and playing games for >3 h (χ2 = 207.05, P = 0.001) were significantly associated with the physical complaints of headaches, neck pain, and wrist pain among gamers (odds ratio = 40.6, 95% CI [18.776–87.936]). Conclusion: Problematic gaming among medical students is on the rise, and therefore, there is a need for a check and timely remedial action.