Journal of Adolescent Health Study
Another medical journal study on video games making headlines this month was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Rather than focus on an experimental effort, the study is survey research of children and their video gaming habits. Cheryl K. Olsen, over at the Harvard Medical School Center for Mental Health and Media in the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry was the lead author. The other authors were Lawrence A. Kutner, Dorothy E. Warner, Jason B. Almerigi, Lee Baer, Armand M. Nicholi II, and Eugene V. Beresin.
The survey was administered to seventh and eighth graders in fall, 2004. The students attended two separate schools in Pennsylvania and South Carolina. A total of 1254 students submitted surveys.
In an interview with reporter Shari Rudavsky over at the Indianapolis Star, Dr. Olsen indicated that most children surveyed played video games, with only 80 stating they had not played in the previous six months. The researchers were surprised by the number of girls playing games rated as violent. Games in the Grand Theft Auto series came in second for girls, behind those in The Sims series. Rudavsky offered this quote from Dr. Olsen to reassure parents concerned about their children playing violent video games:
“First, don’t freak out if you find your child has played an M-rated game, because it’s normal,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense to think that video games are turning kids into killers.”
Rudavsky’s article concludes that while violent video games can contribute to other risk factors for violence that are pre-existing, the games by themselves are not an issue for concern in healthy families.
References
Olson, C. K., Kutner, L. A., Warner, D. E., Almerigi, J. B., Baer, L., Nicholi II, A. M., & Beresin, E. V. (2007, July). Factors correlated with violent video game use by adolescent boys and girls. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41(1). 77-83.
Rudavsky, S. (2007, July 10). Violent video games appeal to girls and boys alike. Indianapolis Star. [Online]. Retrieved July 10, 2007 from http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/
20070710/LIVING01/707100314/-1/LOCAL17
July 11, 2007 at 8:04 am
[...] sample size was larger than the Journal of Adolescent Health study also published this month, with 1491 children ranging in age from 10 to 19 years old. Data was [...]
August 5, 2007 at 3:05 pm
Diet Checker
Thanks, Interesting read.
August 19, 2007 at 10:26 am
[...] video gaming research we’ve looked at recently has at least given lip service to the differences in gaming habits of boys and girls; such easily [...]