A meta-analytic review of Internet gaming disorder and the Big Five personality factors

Two systematic reviews have been conducted to summarize the literature on Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and personality. However, the data was not synthesized statistically, imposing a limit to their conclusions. The current study aimed to extend on the two reviews by conducting a series of five meta-analyses, one for each of the Big Five personality factors, to examine their relationships with IGD. A comprehensive search was conducted on the databases PsycArticles, PsycInfo, and Web of Science from inception to 29 July 2021. The data was analyzed using Meta-Essentials and the random effects model was used to obtain the pooled estimate of the effect size. A total of 12 articles were included (n = 145 to 3389). IGD was not significantly correlated with openness to experience (r = -0.05). However, IGD was negatively correlated with conscientiousness (r = -0.29), extraversion (r = -0.15), and agreeableness (r = -0.17), and positively correlated with neuroticism (r = 0.20). Age moderated the relationships between IGD and openness to experience and conscientiousness. The results were broadly consistent with the DSM-5 IGD criteria and the Big Five personality framework. Future research directions might include examining age as moderator variables, and using appropriate instruments based on the DSM-5 IGD criteria.