Negative parenting behaviors linked to gaming disorder in children with ADHD

A new Children's Hospital of Philadelphia study examines the relationship between parenting factors and gaming disorder in young children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Findings from the study will be presented during the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2026 Meeting, taking place April 24-27 in Boston.

More than 80 % of American children play video games, and evidence is accumulating that a substantial proportion engage in problematic gaming. Moreover, children with ADHD are at risk for problematic video game use. This study found that risk factors for problematic gaming include negative parenting behaviors, male sex and older age. Negative parenting behaviors are modifiable with parenting training programs. The relationship between gaming and parenting may also be bidirectional, with problematic gaming contributing to negative parenting. Parental involvement in gaming, increased access to consoles, and increased household limits on gaming were not associated with gaming disorder.

"We found that negative parenting behaviors (such as arguing, punishing and losing temper) are significantly associated with children meeting criteria for gaming addiction," said Emily Wassmer, MD, fellow physician at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and lead author of the study.

We can't determine a causal association from this data, but it is likely that the relationship is bidirectional, as parenting behaviors mediate child behaviors. Parenting behaviors are modifiable with evidence-based parent training programs, so programs like these may be beneficial for caregivers of gamers whose gaming has reached problematic levels. These findings are one piece part of a larger study evaluating risk factors for video game addiction in young children (age 5-12) with ADHD, a population at risk for addiction because of their ADHD diagnosis, though under-represented in gaming addiction research which tends to focus on adolescents."

Emily Wassmer, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Recognizing the impact of video games on mental health, criteria for Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) were proposed in the DSM-5. These criteria have rarely been applied to clinical populations. There is limited research on video game use in children with ADHD, a group vulnerable to developing addictive behaviors. Existing research has focused on individual-level factors related to problematic gaming, and there has been minimal focus on parental factors, which may be helpful in identifying targets for behavioral interventions.