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Video Games May Have Positive Effects on Kids

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on PsychCentral.

Although playing video games is a favorite activity for many children, the practice is often viewed as a negative influence. But a new international study now suggests playing video games may have some positive effects on young children living in several European Union countries.

Researchers at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health and colleagues at Paris Descartes University and a number of other European universities assessed the association between the amount of time spent playing video games and children’s mental health and cognitive and social skills.

They found that playing video games may have positive effects on young children. Results are published online in the journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology.

Researchers correlated the amount of time a child played video games with school performance. After adjusting for child age, gender, and number of children, the researchers found that high video game usage was associated with 1.75 times the odds of high intellectual functioning and 1.88 times the odds of high overall school competence.

There were no significant associations with any child self-reported or mother- or teacher-reported mental health problems. The researchers also found that more video game playing was associated with less relationship problems with their peers.

Based on parent reporting, 20 percent of the children played video games more than five hours per week.

Results were based on data from the School Children Mental Health Europe project for children ages six to 11. Parents and teachers assessed their child’s mental health in a questionnaire and the children themselves responded to questions through an interactive tool.

Source: PsychCentral
http://psychcentral.com/news/2016/03/09/study-finds-video-games-may-have-positive-effects-on-kids/100222.html