Comorbidity of Internet gaming disorder and alcohol use disorder: A focus on clinical characteristics and gaming patterns.
OBJECTIVE
Although Internet gaming disorder (IGD), which has been considered as a behavioral addiction in DSM-5, shares core features with alcohol use disorder (AUD), there has been minimal research on the clinical implications of the comorbidity between IGD and AUD. The purpose of this study is to investigate clinical psychopathologies and Internet game usage patterns of IGD, AUD, and their comorbid status.


METHODS
Participants (n = 1819) completed a cross-sectional web-based survey. The survey questionnaire included socio-demographic data, the IGD scale according to DSM-5 criteria, the Korean version of Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test for AUD, the Dickman Impulsivity Inventory (DII)-short version for impulsivity, the Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS) for self-control, the subscales of the Symptom Check-List 90 Items-Revised (SCL-90-R) for depression and anxiety, and the Behavioral Inhibition System/Behavioral Approach System Scale, and the Internet game usage patterns.


RESULTS
The comorbidity group had substantially more severe clinical features such as impulsivity, impaired self-control, and mood symptoms than either IGD or AUD only. Especially the depression scale for the comorbidity group (26.0) is considerably higher than 13.0 for IGD and 16.0 for AUD alone. Furthermore, the comorbidity group spent twice as much money on Internet gaming as IGD alone (all p < .05).


CONCLUSIONS
The findings of this study indicate that the comorbidity between IGD with AUD showed more severe psychopathological impairments, and the respective persons spent more money on gaming than either IGD or AUD alone. These particular characteristics may serve as feasible therapeutic targets in clinical settings. (Am J Addict 2017;26:326-334).
Department of Psychiatry, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea.
Euihyeon
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8657-8855
E
Na
Department of Industrial and Management Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, South Korea.
Hyeseon
H
Lee
Department of Medical Informatics, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea.|Catholic Institute for Healthcare Management and Graduate School of Healthcare Management and Policy, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea.
Inyoung
I
Choi
Department of Psychiatry, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea.
Dai-Jin
DJ
Kim
D000328:Adult; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001007:Anxiety; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D000068356:Self-Control; D018910:Video Games / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult