Abstract

Objective: Internet gaming disorder is increasingly recognized as a clinically significant behavioral problem among children and adolescents diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of internet gaming disorder in individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and to examine its associations with autistic traits, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptom severity, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in children and adolescents diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Materials and Methods: We established ADHD diagnoses based on DSM-5 criteria. Moreover, every participant had a diagnostic evaluation by a child and adolescent psychiatrist using the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS-PL). This cross-sectional study included 101 children and adolescents aged 10–17 years who were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Autism spectrum disorder was excluded through clinical assessment. Autistic traits, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptom severity, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and internet gaming disorder symptoms were assessed using validated rating scales. Participants were divided into low and high autistic trait groups according to the Social Responsiveness Scale cut off score.

Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of internet gaming disorder total scores (p=0.136). Internet gaming disorder severity was positively correlated with several anxiety and depressive symptom (r=0.465, p<0.001) domains and with hyperactivity symptoms (r=0.225, p=0.024). In the regression model, depressive symptoms were positively associated with internet gaming disorder severity (β=0.316, p=0.025), whereas generalized anxiety symptoms were negatively associated with internet gaming disorder severity (β=−0.380, p=0.014).

Conclusion: Although autistic traits were not independently associated with internet gaming disorder severity, depressive symptoms and hyperactivity appeared to be more closely related to problematic gaming behavior. These findings suggest that emotional symptoms and core attention deficit hyperactivity disorder features should be considered together when evaluating internet gaming disorder risk in this population.

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Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

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1.
Eroğlu Doğan H, Ayvalık Baydur ÜG. Internet gaming disorder in children and adolescents diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: The role of autistic traits and ADHD symptom severity. Turk J Pediatr Dis. 2026;Early View:1-8. https://doi.org/10.12956/TJPD.2026.1369