CORRELATION OF INTERNET GAMING DISORDER AND IMPULSIVITY ACROSS GENDER DIFFERENCES AMONG MALAYSIAN YOUTHS

Abstract

A significant portion of prior research has indicated that internet gamers’ impulsivity is a risk factor and effect of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) in which IGD cases are gradually increasing globally. Besides, a male is more prone to develop IGD and being impulsive compared with a female historically referring from the evolutional perspectives. Yet, the empirical studies are still insufficient and inconsistent to ensure the correlation between both variables across gender. This study is aligned with the fifth Sustainable Development Goal: gender equality. This was descriptive correlational research utilised non-probability purposive sampling method. The present study expanded the existing research by indicating a positive correlation between IGD and impulsivity, where there are no gender differences among the sample of 130 Malaysian youths (70 males and 60 females) with a mean age of 20.72 years old on average (S.D. = 2.30) in relation with both variables. Findings from this study recommend future research to concentrate on features related to impulsivity as an imperative contributor to IGD.