Electronic games and implications on mental health of young university students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23925/1984-4840.2026v28a5Keywords:
Mental Health, Electronic Games, Students, Depression, AnxietyAbstract
Objective: To identify and analyze the potential protective and/or adverse effects of playing electronic games on the mental health of university students. Methods: A descriptive and exploratory study with a quantitative-qualitative approach was conducted with the participation of 163 young people from the city of Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, aged between 18 and 29 years, who completed a virtual questionnaire divided into three sections: sociodemographic profile, practice of electronic games, and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Multivariate analyses of variance were per formed using R software for Windows. Results: Patterns in gaming practices were observed beginning in childhood and continuing into players’ daily lives throughout adulthood, with a high frequency of use during young adulthood. In general, levels of depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms were lower than expected for this population. However, female sex and a prior diagnosis or report of psychiatric symptoms were statistically associated with higher levels of depression, stress, and anxiety. Conclusion: No correlation was identified between playing electronic games and the manifestation of the symptoms investigated.
References
1. Gonçalves MK, Azambuja LS. Onde termina o uso recreativo e inicia a dependência de jogos eletrônicos: uma revisão da literatura. Aletheia. 2021;54(1):146-53. doi: 10.29327/226091.54.1-16.
2. Lemos IL, Cardoso A, Sougey, E. B. Cross-cultural adaptation and evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Video Game Addiction Test. Comput Hum Behav. 2016;55:207-13. doi: doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.09.019.
3. Maté D. Notas para una periodización del videojuego. Cuad Instit [Internet]. 2021[acesso em 20 abr. 2024];6:6-20. Disponível em: https://ri.conicet.gov.ar/handle/11336/164872
4. García-Lanzo S, Bonilla I, Chamarro A. The psychological aspects of electronic sports: tips for sports psychologists. Int J Sport Psychol. 2020;51(6):613-25. doi:10.7352/IJSP.2020.51.613.
5. Superdata. Year in review 2019 [Internet]. SuperData Research Holdings; © 2019 [acesso em 20 abr. 2024]. Disponível em: https://www.superdataresearch.com/reports/p/2019-year-in-review
6. Pesquisa Game Brasil [Internet] [acesso em 20 abr. 2024]. Disponível em: https://www.pesquisagamebrasil.com.br/pt/
7. Goedert MCF, Soares AKS. Esporte eletrônico: revisão sistemática da produção de conhecimento em psicologia. Psicol Argum. 2020;37(97):398-415. doi: doi.org/10.7213/psicolargum.37.97.AO07.
8. Halbrook YJ, O’Donnell AT, Msetfi RM. When and how video games can be good: a review of the positive effects of video games on well-being. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2019;14(6):1096-104. doi: 10.1177/1745691619863807.
9. Maia MSD, Jacomelli MK. A aprendizagem da criança com transtorno do espectro autista (TEA) através do uso das tecnologias da informação e comunicação – TIC. Rev Psic Saberes [Internet]. 2024 [acesso em 20 abr. 2024];9(18):16-31. Disponível em: https://revistas.cesmac.edu.br/psicologia/article/view/1210/953
10. Lemos IL, Cardoso A, Sougey EB. Validity and reliability assessment of the Brazilian version of the game addiction scale (GAS). Compr Psychiatry. 2016;67:19-25. doi: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2016.01.014.
11. American Psychiatric Association. Manual diagnóstico e estatístico de transtornos mentais: DSM-V. 5ª ed. Porto Alegre: Artmed; 2014.
12. Yao JPR, Sundar V, Ramalingam V. Predictors of mobile video gaming on musculoskeletal pain among university students in Selangor, Malaysia. J Physiother Res. 2021;11(3):518-27. doi: 10.17267/2238-2704rpf.v11i3.3916.
13. Lovibond PF, Lovibond SH. The structure of negative emotional states: comparison of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) with the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories. Behav Res Ther. 1995;33(3):335-43. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(94)00075-u.
14. Vignola RC, Tucci AM. Adaptation and validation of the depression, anxiety and stress scale (DASS) to Brazilian Portuguese. J Affect Disord. 2014;155:104-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2013.10.031.
15. Giovannetti V, Becker JL. Elas são a maioria do volume de jogadores, mas não programam. Cad Pesqui. 2023;53:e10233. doi: 10.1590/1980531410233.
16. Cotonhoto LA, Rossetti CB. Prática de jogos eletrônicos por crianças pequenas: o que dizem as pesquisas recentes? Rev Psicopedag [Internet]. 2016 [acesso em 20 abr 2024];33(2):346-57. Disponível em: http://pepsic.bvsalud.org/pdf/psicoped/v33n102/12.pdf
17. Suzuki FTI, Matias MV, Silva MTA, Oliveira MPMT. O uso de videogames, jogos de computador e internet por uma amostra de universitários da Universidade de São Paulo. J Bras Psiquiatr. 2009;58(3):162–8. doi: 10.1590/S0047-20852009000300004.
18. Wang CW, Chan CL, Mak KK, Ho SY, Wong PW, Ho RT. Prevalence and correlates of video and internet gaming addiction among Hong Kong adolescents: a pilot study. ScientificWorldJournal. 2014;2014:874648. doi: 10.1155/2014/874648.
19. Patias ND, Machado WDL, Bandeira DR, Dell'Aglio DD. Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) - Short Form: adaptação e validação para adolescentes brasileiros. Psico-USF, 2016;21(3):459–69. doi: 10.1590/1413-82712016210302.
20. Smith DT, Mouzon DM, Elliott M. Reviewing the assumptions about men’s mental health: an exploration of the gender binary. Am J Men’s Health. 2016;12(1):78-89. doi: 10.1177/1557988316630953.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Revista da Faculdade de Ciências Médicas de Sorocaba
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Os autores no momento da submissão transferem os direitos autorais, assim, os manuscritos publicados passam a ser propriedade da revista.
O conteúdo do periódico está licenciado sob uma Licença Creative Commons 4.0, esta licença permite o livre acesso imediato ao trabalho e que qualquer usuário leia, baixe, copie, distribua, imprima, pesquise ou vincule aos textos completos dos artigos, rastreando-os para indexação, passá-los como dados para o software, ou usá-los para qualquer outra finalidade legal.
Este obra está licenciada com uma Licença 