The Impact of Excessive Video-Gaming on Partners of Gamers: An Investigation of Harm and Coping Strategies

Abstract

Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) refers to a pattern of persistent gaming that results in functional impairment to the user (APA, 2013). There is a wide range of intrapersonal harms associated with problem gaming. Less attention is given in the literature to the potential “passed on” harms to those around the problem gamer. The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether partners of gamers (N=271) were experiencing harm in five domains (relationship, emotional, health, financial and work). The secondary aim of the study was to investigate what coping strategies (emotion and problem-focused) are most frequently endorsed by partners of gamers and whether emotion-focused coping predicted the overall harms experienced by partners. An online survey of partners of gamers investigated reported IGD, as well as, examined the harms, psychological distress and coping strategies. The 18.1% of participants that reported IGD in their partner reported greater harm on all five domains, in comparison to those who had non-IGD partners. Emotion-focused coping was more frequently endorsed by those with greater psychological distress. A regression analysis indicated that emotion-focused coping was not predictive of overall gaming related harm beyond what was already predicted by IGD, time spent gaming, and psychological distress. The present finding provided valuable information about types and strength of the harms “passed on” to those close to a problem gamer and how partners of gamers may cope with this situation.