Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: May 29, 2019
Date Accepted: May 14, 2020
Date Submitted to PubMed: May 27, 2020
The Habits and Attitudes of Video Gaming and Information Technology Using Among People with Schizophrenia: a cross-sectional survey
ABSTRACT
Background:
Information technology and video gaming have potential advantages in the treatment of schizophrenia. However, the amount of information regarding the habits and attitudes related to internet use and video gaming among the population has been limited.
Objective:
This study aims to explore the habits and attitudes regarding video gaming and information technology, and their associated factors, among people with schizophrenia in Hong Kong.
Methods:
In this cross-sectional survey, service users with schizophrenia were recruited from six halfway hostels and seven integrated centers for mental wellness in Hong Kong. A 79-item self-report questionnaire was utilized to explore the habits on internet use and video gaming. The attitudes towards video gaming was assessed by the Gaming Attitudes, Motivations, and Experiences Scales (GAMES). A total of 110 participants were recruited using a convenience sample (a response rate of 74%). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, an independent t-test, Pearson correlation, and principal analysis with three methods of rotations (varimax, equamax and promax).
Results:
Most participants (90.9%) had access to the internet and half of them (49.1%) used the internet on a daily basis, mostly to watch videos (60.0%) or read news or books, etc. (38.2%). One-third (32.7%) used the internet to play online games, and most of them (80.0%) had played a video game within the past year. The most favorable gaming platforms were cellular phones (47.7%) followed by computers (21.6%) and arcade cabinets (6.8%). The most favorable game genre was action games (23.4%). Those who had a bachelor’s degree or higher, when compared to those with a lower education level, scored lower in social interaction, P=.03. Those who played video games on a daily basis scored higher in the category of Story than those who played less than daily, t(86)=2.03, P=.05). The most popular gaming category was autonomy and the least popular categories were Violent Catharsis and Violent Reward. Two motives, “social playing” and “evasive playing,” were formed to describe the characteristics of video game playing.
Conclusions:
In our data, there was a high internet utilization rate among people with schizophrenia in Hong Kong. Only a few of them had used the internet to search for health-related information. Our study also exemplified the unique habits of gaming among subjects. Healthcare professionals might utilize video games to engage and promote coping with stress and to provide social skills training. The identification of gaming attitudes can contribute to the development of serious games for the population. Further investigation is vital for the promotion of mental health through online platforms.
Citation
Request queued. Please wait while the file is being generated. It may take some time.
Copyright
© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.