Social genomics of healthy and disordered internet gaming

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dc.contributor.authorSnodgrass, Jeffrey G.
dc.contributor.authorDengah, H. J. Francois
dc.contributor.authorLacy, Michael G.
dc.contributor.authorElse, Robert J.
dc.contributor.authorPolzer, Evan R.
dc.contributor.authorArevalo, Jesusa M. G.
dc.contributor.authorCole, Steven W.
dc.contributor.otherColorado State University
dc.contributor.otherUtah State University
dc.contributor.otherUniversity of Alabama Tuscaloosa
dc.contributor.otherUniversity of California Los Angeles
dc.date.accessioned2023-09-28T18:40:31Z
dc.date.available2023-09-28T18:40:31Z
dc.date.issued2018
dc.description.abstractObjectives To combine social genomics with cultural approaches to expand understandings of the somatic health dynamics of online gaming, including in the controversial nosological construct of internet gaming disorder (IGD). MethodsResultsIn blood samples from 56 U.S. gamers, we examined expression of the conserved transcriptional response to adversity (CTRA), a leukocyte gene expression profile activated by chronic stress. We compared positively engaged and problem gamers, as identified by an ethnographically developed measure, the Positive and Negative Gaming Experiences Scale (PNGE-42), and also by a clinically derived IGD scale (IGDS-SF9). CTRA profiles showed a clear relationship with PNGE-42, with a substantial linkage to offline social support, but were not meaningfully associated with disordered play as measured by IGDS-SF9. ConclusionsOur study advances understanding of the psychobiology of play, demonstrating via novel transcriptomic methods the association of negatively experienced internet play with biological measures of chronic threat, uncertainty, and distress. Our findings are consistent with the view that problematic patterns of online gaming are a proxy for broader patterns of biopsychosocial stress and distress such as loneliness, rather than a psychiatric disorder sui generis, which might exist apart from gamers' other life problems. By confirming the biological correlates of certain patterns of internet gaming, culturally-sensitive genomics approaches such as this can inform both evolutionary theorizing regarding the nature of play, as well as current psychiatric debates about the appropriateness of modeling distressful gaming on substance addiction and problem gambling.en_US
dc.format.mediumelectronic
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.citationSnodgrass, J. G., Dengah II, H. J. F., Lacy, M. G., Else, R. J., Polzer, E. R., Arevalo, J. M. G., & Cole, S. W. (2018). Social genomics of healthy and disordered internet gaming. In American Journal of Human Biology (Vol. 30, Issue 5). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.23146
dc.identifier.doi10.1002/ajhb.23146
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-3646-5160
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2725-8063
dc.identifier.urihttps://ir.ua.edu/handle/123456789/10691
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherWiley
dc.subjectSTRESSFUL LIFE EVENTS
dc.subjectDRIED BLOOD SPOTS
dc.subjectGENE-EXPRESSION
dc.subjectLEUKOCYTE TRANSCRIPTOME
dc.subjectINTERNATIONAL CONSENSUS
dc.subjectIMMUNE-SYSTEM
dc.subjectHEAVY USE
dc.subjectMMO PLAY
dc.subjectADDICTION
dc.subjectONLINE
dc.subjectAnthropology
dc.subjectBiology
dc.titleSocial genomics of healthy and disordered internet gamingen_US
dc.typeArticle
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