Prospective association of internet gaming disorder with subsequent first suicidal attempt: A large-scale school-based study of Chinese adolescents.

Abstract

While Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) is a known risk factor for suicidal ideation, longitudinal evidence linking it to suicidal attempt remains scarce. This study investigates whether IGD severity independently predicts first-onset suicidal attempt in adolescents. A school-based cohort of 87,390 Chinese adolescents (baseline age: 14.2 ± 1.5 years) was followed for one year (2022-2023). The severity of IGD was assessed using the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form (IGDS9-SF). The primary analysis utilized multivariable logistic regression to examine the association between the continuous IGDS9-SF score and incident suicidal attempts, adjusting for demographics, mental health symptoms, and baseline suicidal ideation. Sensitivity analyses included examining categorical IGD status, individual symptom contributions, non-linearity testing, and E-value calculation. A total of 6620 (7.6 %) adolescents reported an incident suicidal attempt. Each one-point increase in the IGDS9-SF score raised the odds of a first suicidal attempt by 2 % (Adjusted Odds Ratio = 1.02, 95 % CI = 1.02-1.03). The association was robust across all sensitivity analyses, demonstrating a linear trend and resilience to unmeasured confounding (E-value ≥2.24). IGD severity is an independent, dose-dependent associated factor for suicidal attempt in adolescents. Measuring IGD severity might be a valuable strategy for identifying adolescents at risk.