Exploring the Potential for Maturing Out of Adolescent Problematic Video Gaming Use: A Five-Year Longitudinal Study Using a Latent Class Growth Analysis

This study examined five-year trajectories of adolescents’ problematic video gaming (PVG) using latent class growth analysis to identify developmental patterns and test for the presence of a maturing-out group. Four heterogeneous trajectories were identified, including a maturing-out group characterized by high initial levels of PVG followed by a marked decline over time. This finding provides longitudinal evidence that recovery from PVG can occur naturally without formal intervention. Transitions into adulthood emerged as a key developmental turning point, increasing the likelihood of membership in recovery-oriented trajectories. Life satisfaction, relational needs in gaming, awareness of gaming-related problems, and adaptive gaming use were associated with latent class membership, highlighting the role of psychosocial resources and self-awareness. Differences across classes were also observed in gaming time and need satisfaction through gaming, indicating that trajectories differed in both behavioral intensity and motivational processes. Overall, PVG is best understood as a dynamic, developmentally contextualized phenomenon.