Boys With ADHD Have High Risk of Getting Addicted to Video Games

A new study published in the journal Pediatrics suggests that boys suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were more likely to get addicted to playing video games. Researchers including Christopher Engelhardt, from University of Missouri in Columbia, surveyed the parents of 141 boys between the ages of 8 and 18 years old, with 56 diagnosed with ASD, 44 had ADHD and 41 were developing normally.

They found that while the boys who were developing normally played an average of 1.2 hours of video games per day, those with ADHD played 1.7 hours while those with ASD played 2.1 hours. Children diagnosed with ADHD or ASD were also more likely to have video game system in their rooms.

“What we found is that it looks like (addictive gaming) was largely driven by inattention. Among people with autism, the score on problematic video game behavior was driven by inattention and role-playing video games and not hyperactivity”, Engelhardt said.


Source-Medindia