VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES AND AGGRESSION AMONG MALE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KUWAIT

Background: Rarely have studies explored the association of violent video games and aggression among adolescents in Kuwait. This study involves a random sample of high-school students in Kuwait. Specifically, examines the relationship between video game playing and aggressive behaviors, explores socio-demographic variables related to video games and aggression, and investigates factors related to use of violent video games. Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted on a randomly selected population of 589 10th grade male students. This study employed a questionnaire composed of socio-demographic questions, video gaming characteristics questions, and the Buss & Perry aggression questionnaire. Results: The response rate was 98.1%. The mean age of the participants was 15.21 with a standard deviation of 0.84. The majority of participants were Kuwaiti. Logistic regression analyses showed a statistically significant association between high aggression score and being attracted to fighting (p=0.029). The number of hours of playing violent video games, whether it be during school days or weekends, as well as the number of years playing violent video games showed no statistical significance with relation to the total aggression scores. Conclusion: It appears that online gameplay and longer playing hours during weekdays (2-5 hours) are associated with lower aggressive behavior. Having a lower GPA and playing video games that contain elements of fighting are each associated with aggression. Further research is needed to explain cause and effect, as well as whether frustration and competitiveness influence aggressive behavior