ArticlePloS one2026
Is early childhood exposure a key predictor of adulthood problematic gaming?
Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) is a proposed condition wherein a preoccupation with video games causes distress and functional impairment. However, the extent to which IGD resembles substance use disorders is controversial. In substance-related disorders, the timing of first exposure correlates with adult symptom severity; however, it is unclear whether IGD symptoms share a similar pattern. The present study used growth mixture modelling to identify how the onset of frequent gaming during early life relates to problematic gaming in adults. A four-class model that differentially predicted current IGD symptoms was identified. The 'Consistently High Group' (high levels of gaming during childhood and adolescence) displayed higher IGD symptoms than the 'Low Escalating Group" (low gaming during these stages) and 'Rapidly Escalating Group' (low gaming during preschool followed by high gaming). However, the 'Consistently High Group' did not show greater IGD symptoms than the 'Moderate Group,' which was the only other group with substantial preschool gaming. Regression analyses confirmed that gaming during preschool and high school predicted current IGD symptoms, with preschool gaming being the strongest predictor. This study highlights additional parallels between substance-related disorders and IGD, specifically identifying an early age of onset as a predictor of adult symptom severity. These results may inform caregivers and paediatric guidelines concerning when and how video game play is introduced and motivate further research clarifying how problematic gaming may emerge through interactions between developmental exposure, mental health, environmental factors, and individual traits.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.