Agamon
Adventurer
Thanks, Rechan. I was going to post something, but this says it all (with very little exageration, I'm afraid).
Study: Gaming linked to depression.
- Thread starter El Mahdi
- Start date
Thanks, Rechan. I was going to post something, but this says it all (with very little exageration, I'm afraid).
Somehow my post got lost in the ether...arrrghhh
I tried to obtain this article but it looks like it is in the October issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and the epub is not yet available. Unfortunately the current trend is to release the results to the news media before the data is released in the journal. It is probably available at some scientific conference as a poster but I am too lazy to track it down. I will review it once it is available to see what the methods and results actually were.
I am pretty sure that the authors though are very aware of the difference between causation and correlation. It generally gets hammered into you and any of the papers reviewers will have brought this up in case the paper implied otherwise.
As far as to whether 100 people are enough to make a strong correlation claim that really depends on the effect size of the correlation that we are looking at. If (picking numbers from my southern regions) 70% of gamers are depressed compared to say 5% (approximately the point prevalence for major depression) of the general populace then you probably have a sample size large enough to conclude that the relationship is statistically significant. You can really look at statistical significance in a vacuum just based off the study population size, it really requires that you know what effect size you are estimating.
I am curious as to how they identified depression as that can really impact the conclusion of the study. There is a big difference between asking the participants "are you or have you been depressed in the past year" versus diagnosing them using DSM-IV (the psychiatric criteria) criteria for major depression versus using some other screening tool. Similar to this is whether the screening tool was patient-based or did it require a trained screener and were they lookign for depressive symptoms versus an actual depressive disorder.
When the paper come out it will be an interesting read i hope.
The results though do agree with some other studies that have shown associtations between online gaming and anxiety and depression. One study actually showed changes in brain function when playing a violent video game (WOW during violent interactions), but all these studies have been very small and require way more work to really understand the phenomena.
My .02
Apop
I tried to obtain this article but it looks like it is in the October issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and the epub is not yet available. Unfortunately the current trend is to release the results to the news media before the data is released in the journal. It is probably available at some scientific conference as a poster but I am too lazy to track it down. I will review it once it is available to see what the methods and results actually were.
I am pretty sure that the authors though are very aware of the difference between causation and correlation. It generally gets hammered into you and any of the papers reviewers will have brought this up in case the paper implied otherwise.
As far as to whether 100 people are enough to make a strong correlation claim that really depends on the effect size of the correlation that we are looking at. If (picking numbers from my southern regions) 70% of gamers are depressed compared to say 5% (approximately the point prevalence for major depression) of the general populace then you probably have a sample size large enough to conclude that the relationship is statistically significant. You can really look at statistical significance in a vacuum just based off the study population size, it really requires that you know what effect size you are estimating.
I am curious as to how they identified depression as that can really impact the conclusion of the study. There is a big difference between asking the participants "are you or have you been depressed in the past year" versus diagnosing them using DSM-IV (the psychiatric criteria) criteria for major depression versus using some other screening tool. Similar to this is whether the screening tool was patient-based or did it require a trained screener and were they lookign for depressive symptoms versus an actual depressive disorder.
When the paper come out it will be an interesting read i hope.
The results though do agree with some other studies that have shown associtations between online gaming and anxiety and depression. One study actually showed changes in brain function when playing a violent video game (WOW during violent interactions), but all these studies have been very small and require way more work to really understand the phenomena.
My .02
Apop
caudor
Adventurer
From someone who survived real depression
I'm an avid gamer. I'm 46 now. In 2005, I tried to kill myself (twice) and was diagnosed with major depression. Now days, I'm well and back to my former gamer self. Treatment with anti-depressive medication worked for me.
Was it gaming that contributed to my depression? I certainly do not think so. In fact, it was my lack of interest in things I once found enjoyable that clued my family in that something might be wrong. I got rid of thousands of dollars of RPG material in a matter of days. I displayed all the classic depression warning signs.
The way my doctor explained it to me is that depression is caused by a chemical inbalance in the brain...it's not a bad mood or something that is the result of some trivial activity. Such changes can occur gradually over time or as a result of some major life event (like in my case, I believe it started with the death of someone that was very close to me).
Having been there, I must say it is unlikely that something as trivial as gaming would lead to major depression. During my recovery, I did not game or want to game at all, but as I recovered I found gaming to be soothing...a sort of proof that the world was not all that bad, and that I could enjoy the small things once again.
Based on my experience, I suspect that many people that may be borderline depressive might turn to gaming as an escape from the world for a while. Can it be overdone? Anything can.
Contrary to the report, it is when an avid gamer suddenly stops gaming that you better start looking at him/her a little more closely.
I'm an avid gamer. I'm 46 now. In 2005, I tried to kill myself (twice) and was diagnosed with major depression. Now days, I'm well and back to my former gamer self. Treatment with anti-depressive medication worked for me.
Was it gaming that contributed to my depression? I certainly do not think so. In fact, it was my lack of interest in things I once found enjoyable that clued my family in that something might be wrong. I got rid of thousands of dollars of RPG material in a matter of days. I displayed all the classic depression warning signs.
The way my doctor explained it to me is that depression is caused by a chemical inbalance in the brain...it's not a bad mood or something that is the result of some trivial activity. Such changes can occur gradually over time or as a result of some major life event (like in my case, I believe it started with the death of someone that was very close to me).
Having been there, I must say it is unlikely that something as trivial as gaming would lead to major depression. During my recovery, I did not game or want to game at all, but as I recovered I found gaming to be soothing...a sort of proof that the world was not all that bad, and that I could enjoy the small things once again.
Based on my experience, I suspect that many people that may be borderline depressive might turn to gaming as an escape from the world for a while. Can it be overdone? Anything can.
Contrary to the report, it is when an avid gamer suddenly stops gaming that you better start looking at him/her a little more closely.
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Samir
Explorer
I fully agree that gaming--like drugs, alcohol, music, exercise, and a hundred other different things--is a very popular escape from reality. Are depressed people more likely to be gamers because of this? I'd say that's a reasonable conclusion, just like depressed people are more likely to be or become alcoholics.
Are gamers more likely to become depressed? Depends. Too much of anything that shuts you off from the outside world can be a cause of depression. This isn't limited to gaming, by any means. Any solitary activity is unhealthy in huge doses.
Bottom line: Do all things in moderation. If you find yourself constantly depressed and gaming is your escape, then there might be something seriously wrong and I'd recommend seeking help from somebody you trust.
Are gamers more likely to become depressed? Depends. Too much of anything that shuts you off from the outside world can be a cause of depression. This isn't limited to gaming, by any means. Any solitary activity is unhealthy in huge doses.
Bottom line: Do all things in moderation. If you find yourself constantly depressed and gaming is your escape, then there might be something seriously wrong and I'd recommend seeking help from somebody you trust.
Tony Vargas
Legend
That wouldn't fit my experience. Gamers - and I'm talking the TT & LARP crowd at conventions - seem to me to be less into the smokes & booze, for whatever reason. Maybe gaming's adicitive and crowds out the others.
Computer gaming and table top are also very different. There's a lot of crossover, of course, but they /are/ different. Interaction on-line is not at all the same as face-to-face. Just being in a regular game requires activity and social interaction that depresion (diagnosable, major depresion that is) would make very difficult to keep up.
Mustrum_Ridcully
Legend
Doesn't it make you sad that no one told you yet?35? How could they know my exact age?
Overweight? Errr... yes, I must admit.
Depressed? Well, if I am, no one told me yet
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