My research project
Evaluation of the diagnostic criteria of Internet Gaming Disorder in the DSM-V among the esports community.
Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) is still in the early stages of development as a disorder after being including as a condition for further study in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5, American Psychiatric Association, 2013). There are currently some questions about the validity of the current diagnostic criteria particularly when distinguishing IGD from avid or professional gamers. This study aims to attempt to validate the DSM-5 criteria for IGD within the esports community. A sample of esports players will complete an online survey comprising of an IGD measure (IGDS9-SF) based on the DSM-5 criteria and a range of health and demographic questions (Pontes & Griffiths, 2015). Appropriate statistical tests will be used to compare those who do and do not meet the criteria for IGD on measures of distress (K10) and disability (WHODAS) along with the individual questions on the self-report measure (Andrews & Slade, 2001; Andrews et al., 2009). To establish whether the DSM-V criteria of IGD is predictive of distress and disability, and if so, what demographics may influence vulnerability to IGD in the esports community.