title: Influence of violent video gaming on determinants of the acquired capability for suicide.
abstract: The interpersonal theory of suicidal behavior proposes that fearlessness of death and physical pain insensitivity is a necessary requisite for self-inflicted lethal self-harm. Repeated experiences with painful and provocative events are supposed to cause an incremental increase in acquired capability. The present study examined whether playing a first-person shooter-game in contrast to a first-person racing game increases pain tolerance, a dimension of the acquired capability construct, and risk-taking behavior, a risk factor for developing acquired capability. N=81 male participants were randomly assigned to either play an action-shooter or a racing game before engaging in a game on risk-taking behavior and performing a cold pressor task (CPT). Participants exhibited higher pain tolerance after playing an action shooter game than after playing a racing game. Furthermore, playing an action shooter was generally associated with heightened risk-taking behavior. Group-differences were not attributable to the effects of the different types of games on self-reported mood and arousal. Overall these results indicate that action-shooter gaming alters pain tolerance and risk-taking behavior. Therefore, it may well be that long-term consumption of violent video games increases a person's capability to enact lethal self-harm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44780 Bochum, Germany. Electronic address: tobias.teismann@rub.de.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Teismann
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44780 Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Eva-Maria A D
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Förtsch
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44780 Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Baumgart
authors.affiliation: Department of Cognitive Psychology, Ruhr-Universität, Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Serkan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Het
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, Universität Hildesheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Michalak
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*; D018910:Video Games / Q000523:psychology*; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Acquired capability for suicide; Interpersonal theory of suicidal behavior; Pain tolerance; Risk-taking behavior; Violent video games