Symptoms of Internet Gaming Disorder and Parenting Styles in Romanian Adolescents

Online video gaming has been endorsed as a potential addictive behavior with negativepsychological and functional consequences and has been extensively studied amongadolescents and young individuals. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to estimate theprevalence of symptoms of the Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) in a sample of 278 Romanianearly adolescents (aged 10 to 14, 52.5% females) and their parents, and to examine the roleof parental styles of parents in predicting the symptoms of IGD in their children. Statisticalanalyses showed that 31 (22%) adolescents had clinically relevant symptoms of IGD. A logisticregression model revealed that a dominant permissive style of parents was substantiallyrelated to symptoms of IGD in their children. Findings highlight a strong correlation betweenparenting styles and symptoms of IGD, emphasizing the importance of parental involvementin both the prevention and development of IGD in early adolescence.