Unraveling the dynamic interaction with psychological resilience and social sensitivity in the development of Internet Gaming Disorder: a cross-lagged panel network analysis

Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) has emerged as a significant global public health issue due to its adverse effects on mental health and social functioning. Converging evidence has underscored the crucial roles of psychological and social factors in the development of IGD, yet the causal pathways and interactive mechanisms linking IGD with these psychological and social functioning remain poorly understood. To address this gap, this two-year longitudinal study employed 11 standardized psychological assessments to evaluate 1,424 college participants at baseline (T1), with 394 completing follow-up (T2). Principal component analysis and exploratory factor analysis revealed a stable three-factor structure across two-year interval: addiction-impulsivity, psychological resilience, and social sensitivity. Network analyses further identified perceived stress and social phobia as the central hubs with highest centrality strength and expected influence (EI), highlighting their pivotal roles within IGD psychopathology network. Network comparison indicated significant structural changes in specific nodes from T1 to T2, with significantly heighted EI of social anxiety over two years. Crucially, cross-lagged panel network further uncovered the longitudinal causal pathways among variables, manifesting as the highest Out-EI of IGD positioning as the primary “driver” that predicts changes in other symptoms, and the highest In-EI of social phobia as the predominant “receiver” highly susceptible to influences from other factors. These findings provide a comprehensive architecture of IGD psychopathology network that illustrates how predisposing vulnerabilities and consequent disorders become dynamically entangled over time, highlighting critical nodal targets for precise interventions addressing both the driving and receiving elements of this psychopathological network. • Three-factor structure underlying IGD psychopathology remained stable over time • Social phobia and stress emerged as the central hubs in the IGD psychopathological network. • IGD and social phobia respectively function as the “engine” and “receiver” of symptom network. • Dynamic psychopathological architecture of IGD highlights key targets for precise interventions.