Gaming to cope: Applying network analysis to understand the relationship between posttraumatic stress symptoms and internet gaming disorder symptoms among disaster-exposed Chinese young adults.

Abstract

Research has demonstrated that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with internet-related problematic behaviors. However, studies have not explored the linkage between PTSD symptoms and internet gaming disorder (IGD) symptoms. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and IGD symptoms via network analysis. We conducted a cross-sectional study with 341 Chinese young adults directly exposed to a typhoon and examined the network structure of PTSS and IGD symptoms, along with bridge symptoms, to elucidate how they co-occur. Results indicated that avoiding external reminders and anhedonia were identified as the most central symptoms in the PTSD network, whereas preoccupation, gaming despite harms , and loss of control ranked highest on centrality in the IGD network. Two bridge symptoms emerged within the combined PTSD and IGD network model: concentration difficulties and conflict due to gaming from among the PTSS and IGD symptoms, respectively. These findings reveal novel associations between PTSS and IGD symptoms and provide an empirically-based hypothesis for how these two disorders may co-occur among individuals exposed to natural disasters.