Högskolan i Skövde

Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) has been formally recognised in international diagnostic frameworks, yet its psychological mechanisms remain insufficiently understood, particularly in Sweden where no prevalence data exist. This study examined the relationship between IGD severity and emotion dysregulation severity among adult gamers, adopting a social psychological perspective that situates IGD as a socially and emotionally embedded behaviour. Data was collected through an online survey, using validated measures of IGD (IGDS9-SF) and emotion dysregulation (DERS-16), N = 222 Swedish gamers participated. Analyses included chi-square tests, crosstabulations and ordinal logistic regression. Results revealed a strong, stepwise association, higher IGD severity was consistently linked with greater emotion dysregulation (Cramér’s V = .492; Γ = .766). Severe IGD significantly predicted higher dysregulation even after controlling for gender. Male gamers showed a particularly steep escalation in dysregulation at high IGD levels, while findings for women were inconclusive due to the small subsample (N = 10). The study concludes that IGD represents a maladaptive emotion regulation strategy. Theoretically, it refines social psychological models of addiction by integrating emotion regulation, cognitive appraisal and dissonance perspectives. Practically, it identifies emotion regulation as a key target for clinical and preventive interventions, with attention to gender-specific dynamics. Societally, the results underscore IGD as a social sustainability challenge, affecting relationships, education and well-being. By clarifying how digital behaviours intersect with psychological health and social functioning, the thesis contributes to both social psychology and the University of Skövde’s research profile in Health and Sustainability, particularly its focus on social sustainability.