Differential associations of psychological distress with internet gaming disorder and binge-eating behavior among young adults
Background: Psychological distress is increasingly recognized as a transdiagnostic risk factor underlying multiple maladaptive behavioral outcomes. However, less is known about how distinct dimensions of distress differentially relate to internet gaming disorder (IGD) and binge-eating behavior (BEB) within a unified framework.
Objective: This study aims to examine the associations between depression, anxiety, stress, and these two behavioral outcomes among young adults, using a differential but overlapping transdiagnostic model of emotional dysregulation.
Methods: A cross-sectional sample of 380 participants (aged 18–30 years) was recruited through online platforms and educational institutions. Standardized measures were used to assess psychological distress (21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale), IGD (9-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short Form), and BEB (7-item Binge-Eating Disorder Screener). Pearson correlations, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural path analysis were conducted to examine associations among the study variables.
Results: All dimensions of psychological distress were significantly positively associated with both IGD and BEB. The structural path model demonstrated good fit and explained substantial variance in IGD (R2 = 0.41) and BEB (R2 = 0.47). Stress demonstrated the strongest unique association with IGD. In contrast, depression demonstrated the strongest unique association with BEB. Anxiety demonstrated a weaker but consistent association across both behaviors, suggesting that it may represent a general vulnerability factor rather than a behavior-specific predictor.
Conclusion: The findings of this study support a differential but overlapping transdiagnostic model, indicating that IGD and BEB share a common underlying emotional distress system while differing in their dominant emotional pathways of expression. These results highlight the importance of targeting emotional dysregulation in prevention and intervention strategies for maladaptive behavioral outcomes in young adults.
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