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This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it.

Serotonergic polymorphisms, internalizing comorbidities, and gaming craving in internet gaming disorder

Serotonergic polymorphisms, internalizing comorbidity, and gaming craving in internet gaming disorder

Gaming craving is independently associated with frustration intolerance, dysfunctional coping, impulsivity, and an HTR1A polymorphism.

The study aimed to examine the clinical, psychological, and genetic correlates of the intense gaming craving commonly observed in internet gaming disorder (IGD). The study enrolled 69 participants diagnosed with IGD according to the DSM-5 research criteria and 69 regular gamers; gaming craving was assessed using the Questionnaire on Gaming Urge-Brief, coping styles using COPE, frustration intolerance using the Frustration Discomfort Scale, depression using the CES-D, impulsivity using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, and trait emotional intelligence using the TEIQue-SF. Major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and adult ADHD were diagnosed using the C-MINI and DSM-5 criteria; genotyping targeted serotonergic polymorphisms, including HTR1A and SLC6A4/5-HTTLPR. Gaming craving was higher in the IGD group than in controls; across all gamers, craving correlated positively with dysfunctional coping, difficulty tolerating frustration, impulsivity, and depression, and negatively with emotional intelligence. It was also higher in HTR1A C allele carriers and in participants with internalizing disorders or ADHD. In the regression analysis, difficulty tolerating frustration, HTR1A, impulsivity, and dysfunctional coping independently predicted craving. Subgroup analyses revealed that craving was associated with internalizing disorders and HTR1A only among regular gamers without an IGD diagnosis. The findings suggest that interventions targeting emotion regulation, coping skills, and comorbid psychopathology may play a key role in reducing gaming craving.

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