Gaming disorder and aggressive behavior in adolescents of regular basic education: A cross-sectional study in Peru

Abstract

Introduction: Videogames are currently one of the mostpopularformsofentertainment,especiallyamong adolescentsandyoungpeople,however,theirexcessive and compulsive use could cause a series of problems that would affect their well-being and quality of life. O bjective: To determine if gaming disorder is significantly related to aggressive behavior in secondary school adolescents from the Peruvian Amazon. Methods: The approach was quantitative, with a non-experimental design and the descriptive-correlational type of cross-section. The sample was made up of 264 students who were given the Test of Dependence of Videogames and the Aggression Questionnaire, instruments with adequate levels of validity based on content and reliability. Results: Gaming disorder was found to be directly and significantly related to aggressive behavior (r=0.484; p<0.05). Likewise, it was found that video game use disorder was also directly and significantly related to the physicalaggression dimensions (r=0.502; p<0.05); verbalaggression (r=0.447; p<0.05); anger (r=0.463; p<0.05) and hostility (r=0.477; p<0.05). C onclusion: There is a direct and significant relationship between gaming disorder and aggressive behavior in secondary school adolescents from the Peruvian Amazon. Therefore, it is necessary to guide parents so that they limit the time in which adolescents remain connected to video games and prevent them from playing violent or inappropriate video games for their ages.