{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,13]],"date-time":"2026-03-13T09:53:03Z","timestamp":1773395583116,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,12]],"date-time":"2024-08-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1723420800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Epidemiologia"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Introduction: In the literature, video game addiction in youths is correlated with dysfunctional symptoms of anxiety, emotional disorders, and mood disorders, and the pandemic period of 2020\u20132022 has favored the aggravation of this behavioral addiction. Therefore, we identified the need to analyze this phenomenon with an emphasis on the risks and correlates related to deviance and maladjustment from a prospective perspective, seeking to understand the impact of the individual variables examined. Aim: To demonstrate whether the condition of \u201cgaming non-pathological abuse\u201d (GNPA) promotes psychopathological features of clinical interest, in the absence of a diagnosis of \u201cgaming disorder\u201d (GD). Materials and methods: A search performed on PubMed and administration of an ad hoc sociological questionnaire were used to investigate individual variables of criminological interest in a representative population sample (531 males\/females, 8\u201318 years old, M: 14.4, SD: 2.5). Results: Statistical analysis showed that after the pandemic period, digital video game addiction was reinforced, feeding psychopathological traits consistent with anxiety, emotional disorders, and mood disorders. Variables correlated with impulsive, aggressive, and violent behavior related to age, gender, socio-environmental and economic background, and the severity of digital video game addiction. Conclusions: In the youth population (8\u201318 years), \u201cgaming non-pathological abuse\u201d (GNPA) is related to aggressive, impulsive and violent behaviors that foster phenomena of social maladjustment and deviance, especially in individuals living in disadvantaged or otherwise complex socio-economic and family contexts. Looking forward, the study of structural and functional personality profiles is essential in order to anticipate and reduce the future risk of psychopathological and criminal behavior.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/epidemiologia5030035","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,14]],"date-time":"2024-08-14T06:23:05Z","timestamp":1723616585000},"page":"511-524","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Video Game Addiction in Young People (8\u201318 Years Old) after the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Grey Area of Addiction and the Phenomenon of \u201cGaming Non-Pathological Abuse (GNPA)\u201d"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"5","author":[{"given":"Domenico","family":"Piccininno","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic Criminology, Forensic Science Academy (FSA), 84083 Castel San Giorgio, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0229-5562","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giulio","family":"Perrotta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic Criminology, Forensic Science Academy (FSA), 84083 Castel San Giorgio, Italy"},{"name":"Istituto per lo Studio delle Psicoterapie (ISP), 00185 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"De Pasquale, C., Chiappedi, M., Sciacca, F., Martinelli, V., and Hichy, Z. 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