Journal of personalityDec 9, 2024

Links Between Borderline Personality Traits and Problem Gaming in College Students

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Mar 28, 2026

Abstract

A sample of 407 college students revealed associations between borderline personality disorder (BPD) traits and internet gaming disorder (IGD).

BPD traits were linked to IGD and motivations for gaming, particularly for escapism or coping.
Self-reported negative impacts of gaming on daily life were also associated with BPD traits.
The relationship between BPD traits and IGD motivations for escapism/coping diminished when accounting for demographics and other psychological issues.
Only depression was identified as a unique predictor of IGD and gaming motivations.

Simplified

OBJECTIVE: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) frequently co-occurs with addictive behaviors. One such behavior that is increasing, especially among college students, is pathological gaming. However, to the best of our knowledge, no prior research has been conducted on BPD in relation to internet gaming disorder (IGD), despite the two sharing correlates such as negative emotionality and impulsivity. We therefore explored the relationship between BPD traits and IGD.

METHOD: We sampled a large (N = 407) sample of college students using two non-overlapping measures of BPD traits. We additionally examined the unique relationship of BPD traits with specific motivations for internet game playing and the perceived positive and negative impacts of internet games.

RESULTS: On a bivariate level, BPD traits were associated with IGD, motivations to play internet games, especially for reasons of escapism or coping, and self-reported negative impact of gaming on participants' lives. However, the associations with IGD for escapism/coping motivations did not remain after controlling for demographics, and internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. Instead, only depression uniquely predicted IGD and various motives for internet gaming.

CONCLUSION: The results highlight the robust predictive power of negative effect on IGD, and it is suggested that future studies may benefit from continuing to focus on this relationship.

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Links Between Borderline Personality Traits and Problem Gaming in College Students

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