초등학교 학생에서 주의력결핍-과잉행동 증상과 인터넷 게임 사용의 관련성에 관한 종단적 연구

Association between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Internet Gaming in Elementary School Children

Objectives ： The present study aimed to investigate the associations between the symptoms of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and internet gaming based on a longitudinal study design. Methods ： Typically, 456 children participated in the study when they were in 1st grade in elementary school. The participants were assessed with questionnaires about the gaming hours, ADHD rating scale (K-ARS), Korean Young Internet Addiction Scale (KYS; self-rating scale) and Internet Addiction Proneness Scale for Youth (K-scale ; parent-rating scale). Among the total participants in the study, 374 and 233 children were assessed at the 2nd and 5th grade, respectively. Results ： The total gaming hours increased with age in both the sexes. Although it was not significant, children with gaming time less than 1 hour at 2nd and 5th grade tended to show lower K-ARS score at 1st grade than the other groups. The groups whose gaming time decreased between the 2nd and 5th grade showed a significant decrease in KARS score between 1st and 5th grade. Conclusion : The findings of this study indicate that the ADHD symptoms are the risk factors for internet gaming addiction and internet gaming might contribute to the aggravation of ADHD symptoms.