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Among individuals already thinking about suicide, those who play action video games may be significantly more capable of attempting it than those who play other video game categories, according to a new study from Texas Tech University.
Researchers in the Department of Psychological Sciences examined the relationship between video game play and the acquired capability for suicide, with the moderating effects of video game category and gender.
"Acquired capability is an increased fearlessness about death, not being as afraid to die, and also an increased pain tolerance -- not being as sensitive to pain. Increased acquired capability allows individuals to overcome the fear and pain that would inhibit a suicide attempt", said the study's lead author, Sean Mitchell, a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology.
"The more hours of video games you play, the higher your acquired capability tended to be," Mitchell said. "But if we took into consideration what kinds of video games you're playing, we saw that if you play action games, which tend to be more violent, there is a stronger relationship between hours of video game play and acquired capability. However, if you don't play action games, there was no relationship. So, hours of video game play is associated with increased acquired capability only when they report playing action games."
Category(s):Addictions, Suicide Prevention
Source material from Texas Tech University
