Background and aim

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has required drastic safety precautions to contain virus spread, involving a protracted self-isolation period. Those with greater perceived or actual life stress are vulnerable to develop problematic internet behaviors. Thus, we assessed how COVID-19 social isolation affected online gaming (OG) and pornography viewing (PV) in the general population.

Methods

We developed an online cross-sectional survey, Habit Tracker (HabiT), completed by 1,344 adults (≥18 years). HabiT was released internationally with individuals from 80 countries participating; a majority residing in the United States and United Kingdom. We measured changes in OG (IGDS9-SF) and PV (CYPAT) behaviors before and during the COVID-19 quarantine period. We also assessed psychiatric factors such as anxiety, depression (HADS), and impulsivity (SUPPS-P). The primary outcome measures were change in amount of, and current OG and PV severity during quarantine. These measures were related to ten COVID-19-related stress factors.

Results

Overall, we observed a large increase in OG and a minor increase in PV. Those who increased OG (63%) and PV (43%) during quarantine were younger individuals, males, those who left the quarantine household infrequently, those who reported low frequency or poor quality social interactions, and those with higher depression, anxiety, and urgency impulsivity.

Discussion

Our findings highlight similarities between forms of problematic internet behaviors driven by stress, depression, anxiety; while highlighting distinct avenues which these behaviors can manifest.

Conclusion

We emphasize the relevance of identifying those in need of emotional regulation interventions, to mitigate problematic internet behaviors in the context of COVID-19 isolation.

中文翻译：

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使用在线调查评估 COVID-19 隔离期间的在线游戏和色情消费模式：突出有问题的互联网行为的不同途径

背景和目标

冠状病毒 (COVID-19) 大流行需要采取严格的安全预防措施来遏制病毒传播，包括长时间的自我隔离期。那些感知或实际生活压力较大的人容易产生有问题的互联网行为。因此，我们评估了 COVID-19 社会隔离如何影响普通人群的在线游戏 (OG) 和色情观看 (PV)。

方法

我们开发了一项在线横断面调查，Habit Tracker (HabiT)，由 1,344 名成年人（≥18 岁）完成。HabiT 在国际上发布，有来自 80 个国家/地区的个人参与；大多数人居住在美国和英国。我们测量了 COVID-19 隔离期之前和期间 OG (IGDS9-SF) 和 PV (CYPAT) 行为的变化。我们还评估了精神因素，如焦虑、抑郁 (HADS) 和冲动 (SUPPS-P)。主要结果指标是隔离期间 OG 和 PV 严重程度的变化以及当前的 OG 和 PV 严重程度。这些措施与十个与 COVID-19 相关的压力因素有关。

结果

总体而言，我们观察到 OG 大幅增加，PV 略有增加。在隔离期间增加 OG (63%) 和 PV (43%) 的人是年轻人、男性、不经常离开隔离家庭的人、报告社交互动频率低或质量差的人，以及抑郁、焦虑和情绪较重的人紧迫冲动。

讨论

我们的研究结果强调了由压力、抑郁、焦虑驱动的有问题的互联网行为形式之间的相似性；同时强调这些行为可以体现的不同途径。

结论

我们强调识别需要情绪调节干预的人的相关性，以减轻在 COVID-19 隔离的情况下有问题的互联网行为。