Disordered eating behaviors in internet gaming disorder: Clinical and treatment correlates of a naturalistically treated youth sample

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Yeşilkaya C., Ermiş Ç., Tunçtürk M., Alarslan S., Can M., Halaç E., ...Daha Fazla

Addicta: the Turkish Journal on Addictions, cilt.13, sa.2, ss.277-286, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus)

Özet

This study aimed to evaluate the clinical correlates of disordered eating behaviors among adolescents diagnosed with Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) in a clinical setting. Participants were evaluated using a semi-structured clinical interview to assess psychiatric comorbidities. The severity of IGD was measured using the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short Form. Disordered eating behaviors were assessed with the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) and the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT). Associations between clinical characteristics and disordered eating were analyzed using multiple linear regression models. The study included 80 male patients diagnosed with IGD and 36 healthy male adolescents. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) emerged as a significant predictor of elevated EDE-Q total scores in the IGD group (β = 0.41, 95% CI = 0.19–0.62, p < 0.001). GAD was also significantly associated with the EDE-Q subscales of restrictive eating, eating concern, shape concern, and weight concern, but not with the binge eating subscale (p = 0.117). Other psychiatric diagnoses did not show significant associations with disordered eating behaviors. Among pharmacological treatments, antipsychotic medication use was significantly associated with higher EAT scores (β = 0.24, 95% CI = 0.02–0.46, p = 0.035), whereas antidepressants and stimulants were not. These findings indicate that GAD and antipsychotic medication use are significant correlates of disordered eating behaviors in male adolescents with IGD. The results underscore the importance of screening for anxiety symptoms and monitoring eating behaviors in this clinical population.