- Weighted prevalence of IGD risk in Brazilians aged ≥14 years was 0.75% (95% CI: 0.33-1.16), about 1.3 million individuals.
- Among past-month gamers 3.4% were at risk; moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms (OR=8.82) and frequent anxiety (OR=4.15) strongest correlates.
- This is the first nationally representative IGD risk estimate for Brazil and Latin America, highlighting a relevant public health concern.
Addict Behav. 2026 Aug 22;184:108841. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2026.108841. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Problematic gaming is recognized in both major diagnostic systems, as Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) in the DSM-5 and Gaming Disorder in the ICD-11, yet no nationally representative prevalence data exist for Brazil.
METHODS: Data were drawn from a cross-sectional, nationally representative Brazilian household survey conducted in 2023 (gaming module: n = 4,856). IGD risk was assessed among past-month gamers (n = 1,096; 1,050 analyzed) with the Ten-Item Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGDT-10), a DSM-5-aligned screening instrument (cut-off ≥ 5 criteria); an exploratory four-level severity classification was also examined. Analyses accounted for the complex sampling design, with multiple imputation for missing predictors.
RESULTS: Among past-month gamers, 3.4 % (95 % CI: 1.5-5.4) were classified as at risk for IGD; in the population aged ≥ 14 years, the weighted prevalence was 0.75 % (95 % CI: 0.33-1.16), corresponding to approximately 1.3 million individuals (95 % CI: 0.6-2.0 million). In the adjusted model, moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms (OR = 8.82, 95 % CI: 2.39-32.55) and frequent anxiety symptoms (OR = 4.15, 95 % CI: 1.01-17.02) were the strongest correlates, and higher household income was associated with reduced odds (OR = 0.035, 95 % CI: 0.005-0.24); associations were directionally consistent across Firth-penalized, reduced-model, and complete-case sensitivity analyses. An exploratory multinomial model showed progressively stronger associations of depressive symptoms across severity categories (relative risk ratio = 14.41 for the IGD Risk category).
CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the first nationally representative estimate of IGD risk in Brazil and, to our knowledge, in Latin America; the 0.75 % prevalence indicates a relevant public health concern.
PMID:42648137 | DOI:10.1016/j.addbeh.2026.108841
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