%0 Journal Article
%T A cross-sectional analysis of video games and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms in adolescents
%A Philip A Chan
%A Terry Rabinowitz
%J Annals of General Psychiatry
%D 2006
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1744-859x-5-16
%X A survey of adolescents and parents (n = 72 adolescents, 72 parents) was performed assessing daily time spent on the Internet, television, console video games, and Internet video games, and their association with academic and social functioning. Subjects were high school students in the ninth and tenth grade. Students were administered a modified Young's Internet Addiction Scale (YIAS) and asked questions about exercise, grades, work, and school detentions. Parents were asked to complete the Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS) and answer questions regarding medical/psychiatric conditions in their child.There was a significant association between time spent playing games for more than one hour a day and YIAS (p < 0.001), overall grade point average (p ¡Ü 0.019), and the "Inattention" and "ADHD" components of the CPRS (p ¡Ü 0.001 and p ¡Ü 0.020, respectively). No significant association was found between body mass index (BMI), exercise, number of detentions, or the "Oppositional" and "Hyperactivity" components of CPRS and video game use.Adolescents who play more than one hour of console or Internet video games may have more or more intense symptoms of ADHD or inattention than those who do not. Given the possible negative effects these conditions may have on scholastic performance, the added consequences of more time spent on video games may also place these individuals at increased risk for problems in school.The introduction of the telegraph in the nineteenth century ushered in a new era of communication and social development. Further advances in technology led to the creation of the telephone, radio, and television. Recently, the Internet has become the pinnacle of interchange in the modern world and facilitates many different modes of communication. Each generation has raised concerns regarding the negative impact of media on social skills and personal relationships. The Internet appeals to adolescents for many reasons and has become a social connection for many with
%U http://www.annals-general-psychiatry.com/content/5/1/16