Adolescents' and Parents' Perspectives: A Gaming Disorder Intervention in Singapore

• Published date: 01 February 2021
• Author: Timothy Sim,Hyekyung Choo,Anita Low‐Lim,Jocelyn Lau
• Date: 01 February 2021
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12474

T SThe Hong Kong Polytechnic University

H CNational University of Singapore

A L-LTOUCH Community Services

J LThe Keswick Foundation

Adolescents’ and Parents’ Perspectives: A Gaming

Disorder Intervention in Singapore

Objective: This study aimed to understand use-

ful components and mechanisms in treating ado-

lescent gaming disorder.

Background: Although video gaming has

become a pervasive part of adolescents’ daily

life that can lead to educational, physical,

psychological, and social problems, there is

ongoing debate as to whether this is an addic-

tion, and there is little evidence about treatment

effectiveness.

Method: This process research used a case

study design and conducted individual

semistructured interviews with 10 male adoles-

cents and 11 parents after they had completed a

treatment program.

Results: Fourtreatment components (individual

counseling, family counseling, group mentoring

and social support, and alternative activities)

were generally found to be useful. Counselors

were able to engage the adolescents and serve

as role models in gaming throughcreative use of

technology.

Conclusion: Practitioners working with adoles-

cents with gaming disorder should attend to

their developmental needs pertaining to gaming,

Department of Applied Social Sciences, the Hong Kong

Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong

(timothy.sim@polyu.edu.hk).

Key Words: adolescents, families, gaming disorder, parents.

health, psychosocial, and educational aspects

relevant to the Asian context.

Implications: Practitioners should go beyond

counseling rooms and adopt different strategies

to reach out and work with adolescents who

are struggling with excessive gaming in different

therapeutic settings via engaging and working

with them in individual, family, and group con-

texts using technology,particularly video games.

In recent studies conducted in China (Wang

et al., 2013),HongKong(Wanget al., 2014),

Japan (Mihara etal.,2016), Korea (Chung

et al., 2019),Spain(TejeiroSalguero&

Moran,2002), and the United States (Gen-

tile et al., 2009),8% to 16% ofadolescents are

identied as having a gaming addiction (World

Health Organization [WHO], 2018a). This com-

plex phenomenon has various unique aspects,

including psychological (e.g., personality,

life satisfaction, past psychological maltreat-

ment, loneliness), social (e.g., socioeconomic,

family, learning environments, cyberPsycho

effects), and cultural (e.g., differences in gov-

ernment, ethnicity, and culture; Bozoglan, 2018;

Young, 2017) factors. Gaming addiction in ado-

lescents may be related to their relationship with

parents, peers, and school (Young,2009; Zhu

et al., 2015).Adolescentsfromfamilieswith

better family functioning, such as more positive

90Family Relations 70 (February 2021): 90–103

DOI:10.1111/fare.12474