Latent Profiles of Problematic Video Game Use in Adolescents and Their Longitudinal Association with Socioemotional Variables

abstract

Problematic video game use in adolescence has been conceptualized as a heterogeneous phenomenon, with potentially different socioemotional implications over time. The present study aimed to identify latent profiles of adolescent video game players based on the nine criteria of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and to examine their longitudinal associations with socioemotional outcomes one year later. The sample comprised 1,610 Spanish adolescents (67.1% boys; M = 13.2 years). A Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was conducted using the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale – Short Form (IGDS9-SF) at the Time 1 measure. Longitudinal associations with anxiety symptoms, emotion regulation difficulties, and social integration/competence at Time 2 were examined, adjusting for baseline levels, age, and gender. The most parsimonious model identified four profiles: high symptomatology (5.7%), moderate symptomatology with functional interference (10.5%), moderate symptomatology without interference (18.9%), and a normative profile (64.9%). A higher probability of belonging to the high-symptom profile was longitudinally associated with greater emotion regulation difficulties and lower social competence compared to the normative profile. No significant longitudinal differences were observed between profiles in anxiety after controlling for baseline levels. These findings highlight the heterogeneity of problematic video game use in adolescence and underscore the relevance of functional impairment and emotion regulation as key dimensions for understanding its socioemotional impact over time.

Keywords:

Problematic video game use, Internet Gaming Disorder, Latent Profile Analysis, emotion regulation, adolescence.

Received date

30/06/2026

Accepted date

14/09/2026

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Authors

Jose P. Espada - Grupo de Investigación AITANA. Centro de Investigación de la Infancia y la Adolescencia Universidad Miguel Hernández, Spain
María T. Gonzálvez - Grupo de Investigación AITANA. Centro de Investigación de la Infancia y la Adolescencia Universidad Miguel Hernández, Spain | Universidad Internacional de Valencia (VIU), Spain
Víctor Amorós-Reche - Grupo de Investigación AITANA. Centro de Investigación de la Infancia y la Adolescencia Universidad Miguel Hernández, Spain
Mireia Orgilés - Grupo de Investigación AITANA. Centro de Investigación de la Infancia y la Adolescencia Universidad Miguel Hernández, Spain

DOI

https://doi.org/10.54108/10140