Are gaming and computer use causing psychotic episodes in our kids?

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-04-11 01:00

International

CC:0

Canadian researchers checking up on the TV, computer, and video game use of kids during their teenage years suggest a potential link to psychotic experiences. The researchers say teens who played video games a lot and those who increased and then decreased their computer use during their teenage years were more likely to experience a psychotic episode - otherwise known as 'losing touch' with reality. The researchers found that this link lessened slightly for video gaming when they adjusted for mental health and interpersonal problems at age 12, but the link didn't change for computer use.

News release

From:

Attachments

Note: Not all attachments are visible to the general public. Research URLs will go live after the embargo ends.

Research JAMA, Web page The URL will go live after the embargo ends

Journal/
conference: JAMA Psychiatry

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: McGill University, Canada

Funder: The Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development was supported by funding from the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux, Ministère de la Famille, Ministère de l’Éducation, and Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur (Québec ministries), Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation, Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail, Research Centre of the Sainte-Justine University Hospital, Ministère de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale, and Institut de la statistique du Québec. Additional funding was received from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Media Contact/s

Contact details are only visible to registered journalists.