Increased Risk of Internalizing Disorders Among Gamers: A Study of Norwegian University Students Using The Self-Report Version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview

Abstract Pathological gaming has been linked to poor mental health, but few studies differentiate between gaming categories. This study examined associations between gaming behavior and internalizing disorders among Norwegian university students ( N  = 5578). Participants completed the Gaming Addiction Scale for Adolescents (GASA) and a self-report version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Gaming was categorized as non-gaming, recreational, engaged, problematic, and pathological. Internalizing disorders (past 30 days) were assessed using the CIDI. Poisson regression models with a log-link and robust standard errors were used to compute pairwise risk ratios between gaming categories and any internalizing disorder. Regression analyses showed that compared to non-gamers, all other categories—including recreational gamers—showed increased risk of internalizing disorders. Notably, our results indicated that engaged gamers and problematic/pathological gamers did not differ significantly in their risk for internalizing disorders. The findings suggest that even non-problematic gaming may be linked to internalizing symptoms. Future research should explore whether pre-existing vulnerabilities contribute to both increased gaming and mental health challenges.