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Psychometric Properties of the Problematic Gaming Questionnaire Used to Assess Finnish Adolescents

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Abstract

In recent years, problematic gaming behavior has been a phenomenon of growing interest and in need of further empirical research worldwide. Due to a lack of research into problematic gaming behavior in Finland, this study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Problematic Online Gaming Questionnaire (POGQ). Data collection was carried out in two junior high schools by using an online survey administered during the school class. A convenience sample of 560 adolescents completed a Finnish version of the POGQ along with the questions relating to socio-demographic and gaming behavior variables. The final analytical sample consisted of 465 gamers (37.2% females). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) demonstrated appropriate psychometric properties for the scale. Inter-item association across subscales of POGQ analyzed by using Cronbach’s alpha appeared to be satisfactory. Moderate positive correlations were found between time spent on games and problematic gaming behavior. The proportion of adolescents exhibiting problematic gaming behavior was 0.9% of the participants. In conclusion, these results demonstrated the suitability of the POGQ, in its Finnish version, for the assessment of problematic gaming behavior among adolescents.

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Funding

Zsolt Demetrovics was supported by the Hungarian National Research, Development, and Innovation Office (grant numbers: K111938, KKP126835).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Services and Rehabilitation, Oulu University of Applied Sciences, Kiviharjuntie 4, FI-90220, Oulu, Finland

    Niko Männikkö

  2. Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary

    Zsolt Demetrovics

  3. Research Unit of Nursing Science and Health Management, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland

    Heidi Ruotsalainen, Laura Myllymäki, Jouko Miettunen & Maria Kääriäinen

  4. Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland

    Heidi Ruotsalainen, Jouko Miettunen & Maria Kääriäinen

Authors
  1. Niko Männikkö
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  2. Zsolt Demetrovics
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  3. Heidi Ruotsalainen
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  4. Laura Myllymäki
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  5. Jouko Miettunen
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  6. Maria Kääriäinen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Niko Männikkö.

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Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Informed Consent

Parents or guardians received information about the study prior to the data collection in order to decide whether their child takes part in the online survey. Students agreed to participate in the study through the information page.

Research Involving Human Participants

The study procedure was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

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Männikkö, N., Demetrovics, Z., Ruotsalainen, H. et al. Psychometric Properties of the Problematic Gaming Questionnaire Used to Assess Finnish Adolescents. Int J Ment Health Addiction 18, 103–111 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-018-9943-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-018-9943-3

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