Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36615049›Full record

ArticleJournal of clinical medicine2022

Worsened Anxiety and Loneliness Influenced Gaming and Gambling during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Mohamed S Mohamed, Gull Rukh, Helgi B Schiöth, Sofia Vadlin, Susanne Olofsdotter, Cecilia Åslund, Kent W Nilsson

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of clinical medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Perceived Stress, Loneliness, and Resilience in Relation to Game Addiction Among Adolescents in Bangkok During the COVID-19 Pandemic Transition Period.Journal of child and adolescent psychiatric nursing : official publication of the Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nurses, Inc · 2025
    Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Mohamed S MohamedCenter for Clinical Research, Västmanland County Hospital Västerås, Uppsala University, 721 89 Västerås, Sweden.
Gull RukhFunctional Pharmacology Unit, Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, 751 24 Uppsala, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0003-0000-7694
Helgi B SchiöthFunctional Pharmacology Unit, Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, 751 24 Uppsala, Sweden.
Sofia VadlinCenter for Clinical Research, Västmanland County Hospital Västerås, Uppsala University, 721 89 Västerås, Sweden.
Susanne OlofsdotterCenter for Clinical Research, Västmanland County Hospital Västerås, Uppsala University, 721 89 Västerås, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0002-8114-8386
Cecilia ÅslundCenter for Clinical Research, Västmanland County Hospital Västerås, Uppsala University, 721 89 Västerås, Sweden.
Kent W NilssonCenter for Clinical Research, Västmanland County Hospital Västerås, Uppsala University, 721 89 Västerås, Sweden.

Funding

Regional Research Council Mid Sweden 939665Svenska Spel Research council fo2021-0003Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare dnr 2015-00897 & 2018-01127
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Aim: To study the prevalence and patterns of problematic gaming and gambling during the COVID-19 pandemic and the association with psychiatric traits and major types of anxiety categories. Method: 1067 young adults participated in both wave 3 (2018) and wave 4 (2021) of the SALVe Cohort. Associations with psychiatric symptoms and anxiety were examined using logistic regression and Chi-square tests. Results: Problematic gaming decreased by 1.3 percentage points to 23.2% since the start of the pandemic, while problematic gambling increased by 0.9 percentage points to 6.5% in w4. Average time spent playing video games/day decreased from 2.2 h (w3) to 1.7 h (w4), while increases in gaming activity were associated with worsened feelings of loneliness (p = 0.002), depression (p < 0.001), and anxiety (p < 0.01) during the pandemic. Predictors for problematic gaming at w4 were previous problematic gaming and social anxiety (p = < 0.001 and 0.01, respectively). Moreover, previous problem gambling also predicted problem gambling at w4 p < 0.001. All anxiety categories were associated with both problematic gaming and gambling when adjusted for age and sex. However, after adjusting for depression and insomnia, social anxiety was associated with problematic gaming (p < 0.001), while panic was associated with problem gambling (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Overall, problematic gaming has decreased since the start of the pandemic, while problem gambling has increased. Worsened feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety during the pandemic are associated with increased gaming. Moreover, the association between problematic gaming and gambling and anxiety is independent of depression and sleep problems.

Indexed as

anxietyCOVID-19depressiongamingproblem gamblingsocial isolation

Identifiers

PMID36615049
PMCPMC9820879

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.