The Reciprocal Relationships Among Impulsivity, Self-Control, Gaming Time, and Internet Gaming Disorder Among Adolescents: Prospective Longitudinal Cohort Study

This study, published in JMIR Serious Games in 2026, is a 12-month, two-wave prospective longitudinal cohort of 2238 Chinese adolescents, aged 12 to 14, from grade 7 and grade 8 students at six junior high schools in Chengdu and Guangzhou. Students completed a paper questionnaire in December 2018 and December 2019. The authors used a single cross-lagged panel model to examine reciprocal relationships among gaming time, impulsivity, self-control, and internet gaming disorder (IGD), with multiple imputation for missing data.

IGD at wave 1 was prospectively and positively associated with gaming time at wave 2 (β=0.08, 95% CI 0.01-0.16; P=.02), but gaming time at wave 1 was not associated with IGD at wave 2 (β=0.02, 95% CI -0.04 to 0.08). Self-control at wave 1 was negatively associated with both gaming time at wave 2 (β=-0.13) and IGD at wave 2 (β=-0.11). Impulsivity at wave 1 showed no statistically significant prospective association with IGD or gaming time.

The authors state that, if replicated in more robust designs, IGD prevention and control programs should prioritize strengthening adolescents' self-control rather than merely restricting gaming time.