Autistic individuals may look to video games as a way to cope with negative affect and autistic burnout - PsyPost

A caller survey uncovered wherefore truthful galore individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum conditions are fond of video games arsenic a pastime. The caller findings suggests that individuals with autism spectrum conditions whitethorn play video games for escapism, specifically self-suppression escapism erstwhile experiencing antagonistic moods and self-expansion escapism erstwhile experiencing affirmative moods.

The study, which appears successful the diary Computers successful Human Behavior, adds to existing cognition astir the intent of video games for those with autism.

The authors of the caller survey defined escapism arsenic “an enactment that shifts the absorption of attraction from an unpleasant world to a pleasurable unreality.” The probe examined 2 types of escapism, self-suppression and self-expansion.

The self-suppression benignant of escapism refers to “engagement successful activity, including gaming, to suppress antagonistic emotions, considered arsenic an avoidance of discomfort strategy related to antagonistic impact (Stenseng et al., 2012, 2021).” Self-expansion escapism “facilitates autonomy, competence, and relatedness,… and harmonious, autonomous engagement.”

Research has recovered that those with autism spectrum conditions look drawn to video games arsenic an accidental for flight and for a accidental to beryllium successful control. In addition, playing video games tin relation arsenic interpersonal enactment signifier erstwhile those with autism spectrum conditions play collaboratively. Anna Pyszkowska and colleagues intended to analyse the affirmative and antagonistic motivators for video gaming successful individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum conditions.

Participants were recruited from neurodiversity societies successful Poland. Participants were required to person a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, beryllium implicit 18 and play video games astatine slightest 1 hr per week. One 100 and eighty-nine individuals acceptable the criteria and agreed to participate.

Participants took measures of escapism, gaming motivation, autistic burnout, affective outcomes (a measurement of emblematic mood), and hedonic code (capacity to acquisition joy). Statistical investigation of this information revealed that those with precocious levels of antagonistic impact oregon autistic burnout were much apt to play video games for self-suppression reasons. In addition, repetitive behaviors, the diminution of cognitive and centrifugal functions, nonaccomplishment to prosecute successful self-care, and behaviors intended to debar emotions were each related to self-suppression motivations for gaming.

Those scoring precocious connected the measurement of hedonic code (or however capable they were to acquisition joy) were much apt to study that self-expansion was the crushed for their video crippled endeavors. Self-expansion arsenic a information for video gaming was besides related to a tendency for mastery.

Acknowledged limitations see the lack of a power group. Consequently, we cannot reason that these results are unsocial to the gaming oregon autism spectrum conditions. Additionally, the survey had importantly much females (105) compared to males (50) oregon nonbinary (34), consequently, we cannot cognize if sex has an interaction connected results.

Despite these concerns, the probe squad feels their enactment was a meaningful summation to what is known astir gaming motivations and autism spectrum conditions. Understanding what whitethorn motivate a idiosyncratic with an autism diagnosis to walk clip video gaming whitethorn assistance practitioners find if gaming is utilized to header with challenges that could beryllium addressed and treated successful a therapeutic setting.

The study, “Determinants of escapism successful big video gamers with autism spectrum conditions: The relation of affect, autistic burnout, and gaming motivation”, was authored by Anna Pyszkowska, Tomasz Gąsior, Franciszek Stefanek, and Barbara Więzik.