Problem recognition: integrating help-seeking theory in social marketing

Purpose Online gaming is a global phenomenon that can lead to behavioural addiction and affect players’ mental and physical health. This paper aims to integrate the concepts of help-seeking and stages of change to investigate triggers for problem recognition for problematic online gaming that lead to help-seeking behaviour. Design/methodology/approach Critical Incident Technique method was used to collect a total of 78 critical incidents from a sample of 12 male online gamers who self-identified as having experienced problematic online gaming behaviour. Findings Six classifications of problem recognition triggers for young male problematic online gamers were identified: self-realisation, negative consequences, negative emotions, social influence, competing priorities and impact on social skills. Results indicate that both positive and negative triggers are important for problem recognition. Originality/value Valuable contributions were made to the social marketing literature by presenting an integrated model of help-seeking and stages of change theories, providing new insights into SOC and expanding the understanding of the processes involved in the transition between pre-contemplation and contemplation.