Running Head: Online Gaming and Mental Health Status of Adolescents 1

Factors Impacting Online Gaming Addiction and Mental Health of Adolescents Studying in Five

Secondary Schools of Karachi

Sadia Shaheen

M.Phil. (Scholar at UoK), M.A. (Psychology), M.Ed. (Leadership)

University of Karachi

721 – Advanced Statistics

Dr. ZiAsma Haneef Khan

January, 2022

A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the course requirements of the Masters of Philosophy

(Psychology) Degree of the University of Karachi.

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Table of Contents
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 4

Factors Impacting Online Gaming Addiction and Mental Health of Adolescents Studying in Five

Secondary Schools of Karachi .................................................................................................................... 5

Background of the study ............................................................................................................. 5

Research Questions ..................................................................................................................... 6

Hypotheses .................................................................................................................................. 6

Rationale: .................................................................................................................................... 7

Literature Review............................................................................................................................ 8

Online gaming ............................................................................................................................. 8

Mental Wellbeing ........................................................................................................................ 9

Methodology ................................................................................................................................. 10

Research Design........................................................................................................................ 10

Sensitivity Analysis ................................................................................................................... 10

Participants ................................................................................................................................ 11

Inclusion criteria ....................................................................................................................... 11

Exclusion criteria ...................................................................................................................... 12

Sampling ................................................................................................................................... 12

Ethical consideration ................................................................................................................. 12

Data Collection method and tools ............................................................................................. 12

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Procedure .................................................................................................................................. 13

Analysis technique .................................................................................................................... 14

Results and Discussion .................................................................................................................. 15

Profile of the Respondents ........................................................................................................ 15

Influence of time spent on online gaming on adolescents’ online gaming addiction ............... 18

Influence of different games played by adolescents on their internet gaming addiction score 21

The relationship between mental health and internet gaming addiction ................................... 23

Conclusion and Recommendation ................................................................................................ 25

References ..................................................................................................................................... 26
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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors impacting online gaming addiction and mental health

including emotional, psychoNo table of figures entries found.logical and social well-being of adolescents who

are studying in five secondary schools of Karachi, Pakistan. Pakistan has about 118.8 million internet users,

making it the 8th-largest population of internet users in the world (“Wikipedia: Internet in Pakistan”, 2021,

para.1). This fact implies that even the adolescents who belong to low socio-economic status have access to

internet. This was initially due to the online teaching and learning demands. Most of the adolescents in Karachi

got the access to internet and digital devices during COVID-19. Now these adolescents after attending their

classes and researching on internet are exposed to multiple internet games and got indulged in playing these

games more often. It is hypothesized that engagement in the online gaming, refers electronic game playing over a

computer network, particularly over the Internet, has impacts on the overall mental health including emotional,

psychological and social well-being of these adolescents. The design of this study is between-subject design and it

is a quasi-experimental study in which a sample from the population of gamers is taken on purposive sampling

basis. The sample is comprised of 103 participants who play online games (average age = 14.6, SD=1.8). As the

sample is already involved in gaming, the researcher will conduct a survey by finding out the factors impacting

online gaming addiction (OGA) and Mental Health (MH) including the adolescents’ emotional, psychological and

social wellbeing. The Internet gaming Disorder Scale–Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) (Pontes & Griffiths, 2015)

comprises of 9-items and Mental Health Continuum Short Form (MHC-SF) (Keyes, 2007) comprises of 14-items,

is utilized as measures for data collection. Statistical analysis is done through SPSS V-26.0. Descriptive statistical

tools is used for demographics, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for determining the influence of different

variables and Pearson r correlation is used to find out the correlation of online gaming with mental health. The

results showed that there is a significant influence of several factors on OGA and MH where as a weak negative

correlation is found between online gaming addiction and mental health of adolescents. On the basis of result

findings, recommendations are made for the concerned parents, teachers and adolescents themselves to see the

other side of the coin. Keywords: online gaming, mental health, adolescents
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Factors Impacting Online Gaming Addiction and Mental Health of Adolescents Studying in Five

Secondary Schools of Karachi

Online games and their effects on mental health is one of the increasing concerns of all

concerned with adolescents. Out of 54%, about 76% of Pakistanis are connected to the internet in

Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad (“Country’s Internet Penetration stands at 54%”, 2021,

para, 1).

Adolescents are the future of any society. Their engagement with productive activities is always

cherished but not to the extent of addiction. There are studies that give a positive outlook to this

engagement (Dumrique & Castillo, 2018). Yet there are several researches done on the online gaming

addiction showing adverse effects on wholistic development of an adolescent (Kuss et al., 2013,

Gismundo, 2020, Khan & Muqtadir, 2014).

Background of the study

This study is conducted in Karachi, one of the cosmopolitan cities of Pakistan. As per statistics

already shared in the abstract, more than 75% of the population here has access to internet (Tribune

Newspaper). But the proper usage of this facility is unknown to adolescents due to which most of them

are using it for playing online games. Here comes the question of their mental health status as four

youths reportedly committed suicide across the country after missing a task on a famous online video

game that triggered a big debate on the psychological impact of the online games (Asia Pacific).

Following the incidents, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), a state-run regulatory

authority, which was already pressured by a series of complaints from parents, slapped a ban on several

online games. But the ban was quickly lifted as activists argued this was an attack on freedom of

expression (Pakistan: Teen suicide triggers debate on the online gaming, 2020, para 1). Arthur Cassidy,
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an associate fellow of the British Psychological Society, said that cases of growing attachment to gaming

devices among children, which subsequently leads to suicide or self-harm, are on the rise across the

world. Whereas our neighbour China’s video game regulator has said that online gamers under the age

of 18 will only be allowed to play for an hour on Fridays, weekends and holidays (Daily Times, 2021).

Research Questions

This brings some questions for the researcher:

1. Does the time spent on online gaming (IV) significantly influence Online Gaming

Addiction (DV) an adolescent has?

2. Does different games played online gaming (IV) significantly influence Online Gaming

Addiction (DV) an adolescent has?

3. Is there a significant relationship between adolescents’ online gaming addiction and their

mental health?

Hypotheses

On the basis of the research questions, I have framed my alternate and null hypotheses.

Research Hypotheses (Null Form):

Ho1: It is hypothesized that there is no significant difference in the online gaming addiction

of an adolescent, depending on the time spent on internet gaming.

Ho2: It is hypothesized that there is no significant difference in the online gaming addiction

of an adolescent, depending on the different games they play.

Ho3: It is been hypothesized that online gaming has no significant relationship with mental

health status of the adolescents.

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Alternate Hypotheses:

Ha1: there is a significant difference in the internet gaming addiction score of adolescents,

depending on the time spent on online gaming.

Ha 2. It is hypothesized that there is a significant difference in the online gaming addiction of

an adolescent, depending on the different games they play.

Ha3: There is a significant relationship between online gaming and mental health of adolescents.

Rationale:

This study is inevitable firstly, to investigate the factors impacting online gaming addiction and

mental health status of the adolescents. It will also lead to subsequent study of the relationship and

causation components among these variables in the context of Pakistan which will bring in view the

insights regarding positive and negative impacts of online gaming on adolescents’ mental health.
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Literature Review

Extensive literature is available since online gaming has become a disorder and accepted by

DSM V in 2013. When the researcher studied the components of addiction and the criteria to make

online gaming a disorder, it was something shocking. For becoming addicted, a person has to meet the

criteria and according to the researchers’ observations, adolescents in Karachi are developing some of

the attitude that may lead to addiction and disorder. The present state of wellbeing of these adolescents is

inevitable to be explored so that the due measures can be taken in time.

"Winning always attracts the children which manipulates them. The manufacturers of video

games surely know how to make these apps addictive," Cassidy told Anadolu Agency. The World Health

Organization has also classified the phenomenon as gaming disorder. People are watching online content

more than ever as they have nothing to do during the lockdown. Online gaming platforms are even

turning into international level tournaments with huge investments," the PTA spokesman said.

Online gaming

The term online gaming has been explored by many psychologists and not just recently but it had

been the point of concern since early 1990s. As internet was officially launched in 1983, these online

games became popular in late 1980s and people switched from video games to online gaming. Internet

as a source of information plays an important role in developing one’s mind and life experiences by

creating productive works in schools, offices, and even at home. Nowadays, this can be a person’s most

efficient strategic tool for enabling himself to take charge and cope with the fast growing technology.

The fact that people live in on informative lifestyle where everything is updated, internet became one of

the necessities of human beings regardless of age or sex in today’s society. However, the influence of

this useful machine on youth is undeniably questionable. As to what Rock (2008) said, all these

technologies are very good at distracting people. In line with this development, online gaming was
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created to give entertainment to people. Online gaming is one of the widely used leisure activities by

many people. For some people it is said that playing video games has a number of reasons to be played,

for it can be a stress reliever, challenge and competition, relaxation, enjoyment, social interaction, and

even mentally escaping from the real world. For most people, on-line gaming is one of the best past time

that they acquire specially for teenagers, youngsters and students. According to Kuss & Griffiths (2012),

teens who play online games are just having fun. They do not just actually play because of some sort of

seriousness, but also because they just want to feel relief. During school hours, students tend to feel

stressed due to loads of school works and through playing it will relive their stress. It is undeniably

questionable that playing online games provide them something that no one can give. According to some

researches it is beneficial. It enables the mind of the players to be more active, especially those puzzle-

based games. Furthermore, it helps the player to come up with decisions in tight situations, especially

those adventure games that keep the players to be alert, active and strategic. Students’ learning takes

place unexpectedly, but the inappropriate usage of playing online games also leads in some problems

such as being distracted in school. Further, it is where the attention of the child were divided that even

their health and social life is unknowingly affected. Several studies in psychology have found out that

increased time spent on the Internet can lead to negative impact on a person’s ability to communicate

appropriately face-to-face with friends, peers, family members including parents. Studies revealed that

the human brain is easy to destruct and one of the reasons is using technology. The education system

tends to go with the flow with this constant change in the society in order to get things relevant with the

generations today.

Mental Wellbeing

Wellbeing is always a big concern of all linked with adolescents: their parents, teachers, and so on.

There are areas of wellbeing such as emotional wellbeing, psychological wellbeing and social wellbeing.
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Methodology

Research Design

This research study is based on quasi experimental – between subject design (AKA independent

subject design). Quasi-experimental studies evaluate the association between an intervention and an

outcome using experiments in which the intervention is not randomly assigned. Quasi-experimental

studies can be used to measure the impact of large-scale interventions where data are reported in

aggregate and multiple measures of an outcome over time are collected.

Sensitivity Analysis

Before starting the research, for a good power and effect size, the sample size was calculated

keeping in view the error margin as 5%, confidence level as 95% whereas the population size is 2500

approximately and 50% response distribution. The ideal sample size came as 334 participants.

Sensitivity analyses suggest this sample size provides adequate power (.809). So I went ahead

but with limited time and tedious process of data collection, I could only manage to approach 200

participants out of which 97 did not meet the inclusive criteria set for maintaining the homogeneity of

the sample to apply One-Way ANOVA which is one of the basic assumption of the applied test.

Null Hypothesis is …

True False

Decision about null Fail to reject Correct Type II

hypothesis Reject Type I Correct

Seemingly smaller sample size than suggested might have triggered the Type I error (False

Positive Error). Type I error is essentially the rejection of the true null hypothesis. Note that type I error

does not imply that we erroneously accept the alternative hypothesis of a study. This is not possible to
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completely eliminate the chances of a Type I error in hypothesis testing however there are opportunities

to minimize the risks of obtaining results that contain Type I error by minimizing the significance level

of a hypothesis testing (α level to p<.01 or p<.001) since it is chosen by the researcher. Having said that

by lowering the significance level one may lead to a situation where in the results of the hypothesis test

may not capture the true parameter or the true different of the test.

Participants

The constitution of the participants is based on 200 adolescents from five secondary schools of

Karachi out of which 103 met the inclusive criteria i.e. they were online gamers (average age = 14.6, SD

= 1.8) who play online games daily. Out of the inclusive participants 81 were male and 22 were females.

Due to the set criteria for homogeneity, the sampling distribution is found to be mesokurtic and

having a normal distribution neither skewed positively nor negatively.

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria of participants of this study are as follows:

1. Male and female adolescents aged between 12-18 years

2. These adolescents are play online gamers on daily basis

3. They can read and comprehend English language

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4. They are residents of Karachi

Exclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria of participants of this study are as follows:

1. Male and female not aged between 12-18 years

2. These adolescents do not play online gamers on daily basis

3. They cannot read and comprehend English language

4. They are not residents of Karachi

Sampling

For this study, purposive sampling is preferred. Just to keep track of the errors, that might be

committed due to less representative sample, the researcher selected five secondary schools of Karachi

in the district central and east of Karachi, Pakistan. A sample of 103 participants consisting of 81 males

and 22 females, was approached.

Ethical consideration

As the researcher selected the schools for data collection, the administration of these schools

were approached through a prior appointment. The purpose of the research study and all potential

concerns were shared. On the basis of the meeting, the administration allowed the researcher to

approach the respective class teacher and in the presence of the class teachers that survey questionnaire

was filled by the students.

Data Collection method and tools

Participants’ demographics such as gender, age, socio-economic background, game type and name, no.

of hours spent on playing game, days of the week on which they play games, pocket money range and

grade level.
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The short forms of mental health continuum (MHC - SF) through which their current level of

psychological functioning and confirms the implication of the mental health linear model.

The items in the MHC-SF are categorized into three scales:

 The positive emotional well-being scale.
 The psychological well-being scale.
 The social well-being scale.

The short-form is an abridged version of the MHC-LF that consists of 14 items in total: 3 items

measuring emotional well-being, five items assessing the five dimensions of Keyes’ model of social

well-being (Keyes, 1998) and six items measuring the six dimensions of Ryff’s model of psychological

well-being (Ryff, 1989). The test has high validity and internal consistency reliability, making its

usefulness unquestionable for assessing mental health and mental health problems. The long and short

forms of the mental health continuum model are useful for the neuropsychological understanding of

mental health disorders and their impact on our daily lives (Keyes & Simoes, 2012).

The third measure is the internet gaming disorder scale – short form (IGDS-SF) by Pontes an Griffiths

(2015). It consists of nine items based on the gaming activity during the past year (i.e. last twelve

months). Scores will indicate the degree of internet gaming disorder.

Procedure Reaching out to 200 Partcipants

43 Online adolescents
54 were not gamers playing for few 103 Online adolescents
adolescents gamers hours on weekends gamers playing throughout
(excluded) (excluded) the week

Data collection through

Questionnaire

Data analysis (One-Way

ANOVA and Spearman r)

Results are tabulated

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The participants of this research were approached through proper channel that means their school

administration was asked for permission and were told about the details and nature of the study. Once

they agreed, researcher went to the schools at different intervals on different ask participants to give

basic demographic information about themselves on the basis of which almost half of the participants

were excluded and around 103 participants were included in the study after seeking their informed

consent.

As the participants were not very much familiar with the research and use of Likert scales and

even the language of the scales used in the survey questionnaire (researcher came to know this during

the pilot study) so researcher read the questionnaire to them in small groups and they also asked for any

further clarification (if needed) as researcher was present there with them throughout.

The researcher reached out for the adolescents in a school setting. After taking the informed

consent, students were approached and then purposive only those were asked to be the part of the study

who play online games daily.

Those participants were given the main research instrument i.e. the survey questionnaire.

Students were given collective instructions and if someone still unclear, then individual instructions

were also given. Once they filled the form, researcher glanced at those and check for any

incompleteness. This process took around 10 -15 different sessions altogether in five different schools.

Researcher properly thanked the concerned personnel and the participants for their voluntary

participation. Once all the data was collected then researcher coded the demographics and both scales

and entered the data carefully into SPSS v.26.

Analysis technique

Pearson correlation and One-Way ANOVA is applied and analyzed using SPSS (v.26). The

results were tabulated using descriptive statistics and analyzed.

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Results and Discussion

The objectives of the research study were analyzed through the use of descriptive statistics. The sample

was collected through purposive sampling as only those students were asked to fill the research survey

questionnaire (the main instrument of data gathering consisted of relevant demographics, basic

information regarding gaming behaviour, IGDS9-SF and MHC-SF) who play online games and age

range between 12-18 years. This study was conducted with 103 participants belonging to five different

secondary schools of Karachi, who completely filled the survey questionnaire. Statistical measures of

the descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages and Pearson r Correlation was applied.

Based on the data gathered and analyzed, the following salient features are drawn.

Profile of the Respondents

Table 1

Frequencies and percentages of the different categories showing profile of the participants

Category Sub-category F %
Age 12 years old 7 6.8
13 years old 29 28.2
14 years old 20 19.4
15 years old 23 22.3
16 years old 4 3.9
17 years old 7 6.8
18 years old 13 12.6
Total 103 100
Gender Male 81 78.6
Female 22 21.4
Total 103 100
Monthly Less than 500 rupees 20 19.4
Pocket Money 500-1000 rupees 5 4.9
1000-1500 rupees 22 21.4
More than 1500 rupees 56 54.4
Total 103 100
Internet gaming is high among adolescents between 13-15 years as they constituted 70% of the

total sample. This is the age when they have entered their teen age and forming their identity where they
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want to satisfy their power need, increase their buying capacity and socialize with their peer as many of

them are playing it due to peer pressure.

The sample had 78.6% of the male participants and only 21.4% were female so we cannot

differentiate between the gender trends in this study.

Preferred games

Table 2

Names and frequencies of Games played by the participants

N %
PubG 48 46.6
Free Fire 15 14.6
Candy Crush Saga 12 11.7
Minecraft 6 5.8
Solitaire 1 1.0
8-Balls Pool 2 1.9
Others 19 18.4
Total 103 100
Most of the participants play that genre of the games that have social element in it such as teams

and allies of players such as Pub G, Free Fire, and so on.

This data distribution shows a positively skewed sample with a leptokurtic appearance. Ideally

for a normal distribution, this histogram should look symmetric around the mean of the distribution.
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Number of companions while playing games

Table 3

Number of the people adolescents play with

N %
None (play alone) 17 16.5
One 14 13.6
Two 16 15.5
Three 20 19.4
Four 28 27.2
More than four 08 7.8
Total 103 100
Approximately 60% of the participants, always play with 2-4 players due to which their social

wellbeing and personal interaction with others is not affected. The participants have the partners as

friends or allies to socialize with.

Spending money on making purchases in games

Table 4

Have they made purchases in games with real money?

N %
Yes 47 45.6
No 56 54.4
Total 103 100
Number of hours spent on gaming daily

Table 5

Number of hours spent in playing online games daily

N %
Less than an hour 14 13.6
1-2 hours 45 43.7
3-4 hours 16 15.5
5-6 hours 18 17.5
7-8 hours 6 5.8
More than 8 hours 4 3.9
Total 103 100
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As almost half of the participants only play for 1 to 2 hours daily, this could be the reason that

pathologies have not developed through gaming.

This distribution is mesokurtic and slightly positive skewed.

Influence of time spent on online gaming on adolescents’ online gaming addiction

When we address this research question “does the time spent on online gaming (IV) significantly

influence internet gaming addiction score (DV), an adolescent has?”

My Independent variable (Time spent on internet gaming) is currently a categorical variable

(divided into 6 groups):

Group 1: Adolescents who play daily for less than an hour

Group 2: Adolescents who play daily for 1-2 hour

Group 3: Adolescents who play daily for 3-4 hours

Group 4: Adolescents who play daily for 5-6 hours

Group 5: Adolescents who play daily for 7-8 hours

Group 6: Adolescents who play daily for more than 8 hours

My null hypothesis is that there is no significant difference in the internet gaming addiction

scores, adolescents have, dependent on the time they spent daily on online gaming.
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My alternate hypothesis is that there is a significant difference in the internet gaming addiction

scores, adolescents’ have, depending on the time they spent daily on online gaming.

Table 6

Means and Standard Deviations on the Measure of Internet Gaming Addiction Score

95% confidence interval for

Mean
N Mean Std. Std. Lower Upper Min. Max.
Dev. Error Boundary Boundary
Less than an 14 17.57 7.37 1.97 13.31 21.82 9 29
hour
1-2 hours 45 20.91 4.56 0.67 19.54 22.28 11 29
3-4 hours 16 24.31 8.97 2.24 19.35 28.90 11 45
5-6 hours 18 24.11 7.55 1.78 20.36 27.86 10 32
7-8 hours 6 31.00 8.56 3.49 22.02 39.98 21 41
More than 8 4 32.00 1.16 0.58 30.16 33.84 31 33
hours
Total 103 22.53 7.34 0.73 21.10 23.97 9 45
Note: The maximum score is 45

To find out the answer for my first research question, I have run it in SPSS V.26. The first output

box is shown in the table 6 above – descriptive statistics. This is going to tell us about total and

individual groups. We had 103 participants, their means and standard deviations. I analyzed the data

using a one-way analysis of variance set at a .05 alpha level. The group that played online games for less

than an hour daily scored an average of 17.57 (SD = 7.37) on internet gaming addiction scale, the group

that played online games for 1-2 hours daily scored an average of 20.91 (SD = 4.56), the group that

played online games for 3-4 hours daily scored an average of 24.31 (SD = 8.97), the group that played

online games for 5-6 hours daily scored an average of 24.11 (SD = 7.55), the group that played online

games for 7-8 hours daily scored an average of 31.00 (SD = 8.56) and the group that played online

games for more than 8 hours daily scored an average of 32.00 (SD = 1.16).
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Table 7

One-Way Analysis of Variance of Internet Gaming Addiction Scores of Adolescents by Time Spent Daily

on Online Gaming

Source Df SS MS F Sig.

Between Groups 5 1337 267 6.228 .000

Within Groups 97 4164 43

Total 102 5501

The second output is shown in table 7 – F statistics. First thing, I checked was the significance

value and I can see it is .000 and it is below the alpha level α of 0.05 so this is significant. Here the

significant level is .000 so I can write it is <.001 level. I can’t say it is equal to zero as it could be .0001

- .00049. If it were any other number, I am going to report it as p = exact number shown in Significance

column.

F(5, 97) = 6.228, p<.001

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Here F-statistics means result of ANOVA is 6.228 and degree of freedom –between groups is 5

(n-1) and within groups is 97 (n-6).

ANOVA is actually a ration that F statistic is actually a ratio that looks at the between groups

over the within groups so we always need to report for the both and this is how it is written in APA

format.

I have found that there is a significant difference in the internet gaming addiction scores that

each group average showed. Each group has been averaged so unfortunately, I cannot make out that

which group is different from which group. I just know that somewhere between these six groups there

is a significant difference in the internet gaming addiction score. For this I need to run a post-hoc test

that is also known as after-the-fact test. I have used Tukey HSD for that. It indicated that the mean

scores for each group was significantly different from each other. This means that the difference

identified is correct.

Influence of different games played by adolescents on their internet gaming addiction score

When we address the second research question “does different games (IV) played by daily online

adolescents gamers significantly influence internet gaming addiction score (DV), an adolescent has?”

My Independent variable (different games played) is currently a categorical variable (divided

into 6 groups):

Group 1: PubG

Group 2: FreeFire

Group 3: Eight Balls Pools

Group 4: Candy Crush Saga

Group 5: Solitaire

Group 6: Others
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My null hypothesis is that there is no significant difference in the internet gaming addiction

scores, adolescents have, dependent on the different online games they play.

My alternate hypothesis is that there is a significant difference in the internet gaming addiction

scores, adolescents’ have, depending on the different online games they play.

Table 8

Means and Standard Deviations on the Measure of Internet Gaming Addiction Score

N Mean Std. Dev.

PubG 48 24.83 6.46
FreeFire 15 24.07 7.96
Eight Balls Pool 12 18.42 5.92
Candy Crush Saga 6 17.33 7.92
Solitaire 3 23.67 4.62
Others 19 19.58 7.76
Total 103 22.53 7.34

Table 7

One-Way Analysis of Variance of Internet Gaming Addiction Scores of Adolescents by Different Games

Source Df SS MS F Sig.

Between Groups 5 824 164 3.420 .007

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Within Groups 97 4677 48

Total 102 5501

F(5, 97) = 3.420, p<.05

Here F-statistics means result of ANOVA is 3.420 and degree of freedom –between groups is 5

(n-1) and within groups is 97 (n-6).

The relationship between mental health and internet gaming addiction

The assessment of the participants gave the inference that online gaming addiction is negatively

Figure 1: Showing correlation between scales and subscales of the study

correlated (-0.279) to the mental well-being of the participants. At the same time, the significance level

is 0.01. This correlation between mental health and internet gaming addiction is weak. For this, there are

studies that gave the indication that these games are played as coping mechanism (Durmique & Castillo,

2018). It could be due to the initial and minimum exposure to the online gaming (Gismundo, 2020). Yet
 24

another study done in Pakistan by Khan and Muqtadir (2014) also narrated that some gaming is

problematic where as some gaming is non-problematic. This weak correlation indicates that there are

other variables that are working on the neutralization of the mental health.
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Conclusion and Recommendation

The limitations of the present study is the limited sample size. Even if more female participants could be

approached that there could a comparison between male and female gaming attitude.

Secondly, the tools for gathering data are not contextual and language of the tools also causes barrier in

understanding.

Third limitation is the group administration of the tool. Even after conscious instructions, many students

were confirming their answers with their peers. This might have also influenced the results.

Looking at the results of this study, it seems that internet gaming activities of the participants have not

yet came to a point where they could affect the mental health and wellbeing of the participants.

Several of the gaming attitudes such as playing for a limited time daily and playing with partners as a

team, have sustained their mental health and did not affect their wellbeing.

Having said that it cannot be ignored that the relationship between internet gaming addiction and mental

health is negatively associated and especially as the participants were mostly male, there is a dire need

of arranging more physical sports and indoor games that can be played more often so that to enhance

their physical, mental, social, emotional and overall sportsmanship. It will hopefully reduce the tendency

of being occupied with online games.

Furthermore, parents, school administrators, teachers need to build an alliance so that they can motivate

these teens in the same direction to be involved in more physical and practical activities rather than

virtual activities. It can also be a good idea to strength the bond between parents and teachers and make

the responsibilities functional so that time to time, both can inform each other of certain anti-social and

addictive behaviours. School administrations can organize certain awareness sessions for parents and

teachers so that they could be trained to handle the adolescents’ demands and channelize them in

academic and social tasks.

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Chandrima, R. M., Kircaburun, K., Kabir, H., Riaz, B. K., Kuss, D. J., Griffiths, M. D., & Mamun, M. A.
(2020).
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