Internet Gaming Disorder and Mental Health Literacy: A Latent Profile Analysis of Korean Adolescents

Abstract

Objective This study identified latent subtypes of mental health literacy (MHL) for Internet gaming disorder (IGD) and explored their characteristics and differences in various factors in adolescents. Methods This study analyzed secondary data from the 2019 Youth Smart Digital Media Survey and included data from 1,936 middle and high school students (14–18 years old). Thirteen items of the MHL questionnaire were used for latent profile analysis. We compared the characteristics and predictors of the identified types using various statistical analyses, including one-way ANOVA, chi-square test, and multinomial logistic regression. Results We identified three subtypes of MHL for IGD in adolescents: “low perception-prefer informal resources,” “moderate perception-preferred resources unclear,” and “high perception-prefer professional resources.” Subtypes showed significant differences in sex, age, family affluence, e-learning time during weekdays, mental health risks, level of problematic smartphone use, and IGD. All variables except IGD predicted one or more latent types. Conclusion Practical interventions are required to improve IGD MHL, including customized prevention based on the differences between the three types.