Bidirectional Associations Between
Self-Reported Gaming Disorder and
Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder: Evidence From a Sample of
Young Swiss Men.

Simon Marmet 1*, Joseph Studer 1, Véronique S. Grazioli 1 and Gerhard Gmel 1,2,3,4

1 Alcohol Treatment Centre, Lausanne University Hospital/CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland, 2 Addiction Switzerland, Lausanne,
Switzerland, 3 Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada, 4 Department of Health and Social Sciences,
University of the West of England, Frenchay, Bristol, United Kingdom
Background: Gaming disorder (GD) has been shown to co-occur with attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), yet few studies to date have investigated their longitudinal
associations.
Method: The sample included 5,067 young Swiss men (mean age was 20 years at
wave 1 and 25 years at wave 3). Measures were the Game Addiction Scale and the Adult
ADHD Self-Report Scale (6-item screener). Longitudinal associations were tested using
autoregressive cross-lagged models for binary measures of GD and ADHD, as well as
continuous measures for GD score and ADHD subscales of inattention and hyperactivity.
Results: ADHD at age 20 increased the risk for GD at age 25 (probit = 0.066
[0.023, 0.109]; p = 0.003). GD at age 20 also increased the risk for ADHD at wave
3 (probit = 0.058 [0.013, 0.102]; p = 0.011). Only the ADHD inattention subscale
showed a bidirectional longitudinal relationship with the GD score (standardized Beta
from inattention at age 20 to GD score at age 25: 0.090 [0.056, 0.124]; p < 0.001; from
GD score at age 20 to inattention at age 25: 0.044 [0.016, 0.071]; p = 0.002), whereas
associations between the hyperactivity subscale and GD were not significant.
Discussion: GD had bidirectional longitudinal associations with ADHD, in that ADHD
increased the risk for GD and GD increased the risk for ADHD, and they may reinforce
each other. These associations may be linked more to the inattention ADHD component
than to the hyperactivity ADHD component. Individuals with ADHD or GD should be
screened for the other disorder, and preventive measures for GD should be evaluated in
individuals with ADHD.