BackgroundIn recent years, teenage students’ internet gaming disorder has raised widespread concern in the society. The current study aims to explore how perceptions of school climate, maladaptive cognition, and belief in a just world impact teenage students’ internet gaming disorder and seek the suitable intervention to prevent teenage students’ internet gaming disorder tendency.MethodsA total of 1,164 teenage students (age: 19.62 ± 3.14 years) were evaluated using the Perceived School Climate Scale (PSCS), Maladaptive Cognition Scale (MCS), Belief in a Just World Scale (BJWS), and Internet Gaming Disorder Scale (IGDS).Results(1) Perceptions of school climate could predict teenage students’ internet gaming disorder [β = –0.15, p < 0.001, 95% CI = (–0.20, –0.11)]. (2) Teenage students’ maladaptive cognition exerts a partial mediating effect between their perceptions of school climate and internet gaming disorder [ab = –0.13, boot SE = 0.01, 95% CI = (–0.16, –0.11)]. (3) The direct effect of perceptions of school climate on internet gaming disorder [β = –0.07, p < 0.01, 95% CI = (–0.11, –0.02)], the first half of the mediation model “perceptions of school climate → maladaptive cognition” [β = –0.08, p < 0.01, 95% CI = (–0.12, –0.03)], and the second half of the mediation model “maladaptive cognition → internet gaming disorder” [β = 0.10, p < 0.001, 95% CI = (0.06, 0.14)] are all moderated reciprocally by teenage students’ belief in a just world.ConclusionSchools should create a good climate and shape belief in a just world to reduce the maladaptive cognition of teenagers, to effectively prevent teenage students’ internet gaming disorder tendency.
