Association between game addiction and lifetime psychotic-like experiences among high school students: A cross-sectional study

Background: Psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) and game addiction are common among young individuals. The present study aimed to explore the association between game addiction and lifetime PLEs among high school students in Guangzhou, China.

Methods: Data for this study was derived from the Mental Health and Behavior Disorders among Children and Young People in Guangzhou Survey, which utilized a multistage stratified cluster sampling design. The 15-item positive subscale of the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE-15) was used to assess lifetime PLEs. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were applied to explore the lifetime PLEs-related factors.

Results: A total of 5581 high school students aged 13 to 20 years were included in the analysis. The prevalence of lifetime PLEs and game addiction among high school students was 44.9% (n = 2507) and 15.0% (n = 835), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age (OR = 0.86, 95%CI: 0.80–0.93),single child (OR = 1.17, 95%CI: 1.03–1.34), perceived academic stress (OR = 1.10, 95%CI: 1.07–1.14), loneliness (OR = 1.10, 95%CI: 1.08–1.12), social support (OR = 0.93, 95%CI: 1.18–1.23), PHQ-9 score (OR = 1.20, 95%CI: 1.18–1.23), game use time for more than 4 h per week (vs. 0 h) (OR = 1.53, 95%CI: 1.21–1.93), and game addiction (OR = 1.56, 95%CI: 1.29–1.88) were influencing factors of lifetime PLEs (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: The prevalence of lifetime PLEs is high among high school students, and PLEs are related to a variety of psychosocial and behavioral factors. Lifetime PLEs are strongly related to game addiction and long game use time among high school students.