Callous unemotional traits and self-regulation in adolescents with gaming disorder

Background Video games have become a primary source of entertainment for adolescents worldwide due to the widespread integration of digital technology into daily life. Excessive gaming has emerged as a public health concern, as poor control over gaming behavior may lead to negative psychological and behavioral outcomes. This study aimed to assess gaming disorder among adolescents and examine its relationship with callous–unemotional (CU) traits and self-regulation. Adolescents were assessed using the Inventory of Callous–Unemotional Traits (ICU), the Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ), and the Game Addiction Scale for Adolescents (GAD) to measure CU traits, self-regulation capacity, and video game addiction, respectively. Results Video game addiction scores indicated a moderate level of addictive tendencies (59.84 ± 21.17), with salience and relapse being the most prominent dimensions. Participants demonstrated generally adequate self-regulation (207.82 ± 25.11). CU traits were expressed at a moderate level overall (29.09 ± 8.66), with the unemotional dimension showing the highest scores. Significant negative correlations were found between gaming-related withdrawal and conflict with the self-regulation domain of formulating a plan. Total CU traits were positively correlated with all dimensions of video game addiction (r = 0.216 – 0.457, p < 0.01). Conclusions Callous–unemotional traits are significantly associated with video game addiction among adolescents. Regarding self-regulation, only formulating a plan was negatively correlated with conflict and withdrawal dimension of gaming addiction. Regression analysis identified callousness as a significant positive predictor of video game addiction.