IGD among pre-adolescent children: Italian Validation of the Videogame Addiction Scale for Children and its relationships with personality traits and self-esteem

Background: New forms of leisure activity (online videogames, social networking, etc.) that have recently emerged among children and adolescents; have brought about new interaction styles and an excessive amount of time spent on such activities, especially on videogames. A growing body of studies has contributed to the debate on whether playing videogames causes positive or negative effects on individuals. In light of the worrying overuse of these technologies that could lead to addictive behaviors, researchers have paid attention to Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) not only by developing a series of addiction screens mainly designed for subjects aged over 12 years, but also by examining conceptual models which comprise protective and risk factors. The aim is, therefore, to understand what types of educational interventions are needed to plan mental health promotion programs. On the basis of the limited studies carried out on the examination of interrelationships between personality and IGD among children and adolescents, the current research sought: (1) to assess the psychometric properties of the Videogame Addiction Scale for Children (VASC) in an Italian pre-adolescent sample, and (2) to provide empirical evidence for associations between personality traits, self-esteem and IGD. Method: 705 participants (M = 367; Mage = 10.54, SD = 1,38) were asked to complete a questionnaire including a socio-demographic section, the Bracken’s Multidimensional Self Concept Scale, the Big Five Questionnaire, and the 21-item VASC. Descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and path analysis were applied to the data. Results: Findings from CFA showed good fit indices of the VASC-Italian version, thus confirming the four-factor structure of the instrument. The internal consistency reliability of the total score was equal to .92, (.88, .87, .70 and .74 for the Self-Control, the Reward/Reinforcement, the Problems, and the Involvement, respectively). Bivariate correlations indicated that the VASC-I scores positively correlated with the time spent on videogame (hours and days pro-week) and emotional instability, and negatively with interpersonal relations, conscientiousness, and agreeableness. Path analysis demonstrated the mediating role of relations in the linkages between personality traits and the four dimensions of the VASC-I. Discussion and conclusion: The instrument resulted as a psychometrically robust tool to measure the addiction to videogames. The tested model suggested intervention applications tailored to reduce risk levels of videogame addiction in pre-adolescents.