TITLE:
Problematic Use of Video Games in Schools in Northern Benin (2023)
AUTHORS:
Ireti Nethania Elie Ataigba, David Sinet Koivogui, Damega Wenkourama, Marcos Tohou, Eurydice Elvire Djossou, Anselme Djidonou, Francis Tognon Tchegnonsi, Prosper Gandaho, Josiane Ezin Houngbe
KEYWORDS:
Gaming Problem, Video Games, Benin, 2023
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Psychiatry,
Vol.14 No.2,
February
29,
2024
ABSTRACT: Objective: To study the problematic use of video games among
secondary school students
in the city of Parakou in 2023. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study
conducted in the commune of Parakou from December 2022 to July 2023. The study
population consisted of students regularly enrolled in public and private
secondary schools in the city of Parakou for the 2022-2023 academic year. A two-stage non-proportional
stratified sampling technique combined with simple random sampling was adopted.
The Problem Video Game Playing (PVP) scale was used to assess problem
gambling in the study population, while
anxiety and depression were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and
Depression Scale (HADS). Results: A total of 1030 students were included. The mean age of the pupils surveyed was
15.06 ± 2.68 years, with extremes of 10 and 28 years. The [13 - 18] age group was the most represented, with a proportion of 59.6% (614) in the general population.
Females predominated, at 52.8% (544), with a sex ratio of 0.89. The prevalence
of problematic video game use was 24.9%,
measured using the Video Game Playing scale. Associated factors were
male gender (p = 0.005), pocket money under 10,000 cfa (p = 0.001) and between 20,000 - 90,000 cfa (p = 0.030), addictive family behavior (p Conclusion: Substance-free addiction is struggling to
attract the attention it deserves, as it did in its infancy everywhere else.
This study complements existing data and serves as a reminder of the need to
focus on this group of addictions, whose problematic use of video games remains
the most frequent due to its accessibility and social tolerance. Preventive action combined with curative measures
remains the most effective
means of combating the problem at national level.