Having mentors and campus social networks moderates the impact of worries and video gaming on depressive symptoms: a moderated mediation analysis

Abstract

BackgroundEasy access to the internet has spawned a wealth of research to investigate the effects of its use on depression. However, one limitation of many previous studies is that they disregard the interactive mechanisms of risk and protective factors. The aim of the present study was to investigate a resilience model in the relationship between worry, daily internet video game playing, daily sleep duration, mentors, social networks and depression, using a moderated mediation analysis.Methods6068 Korean undergraduate and graduate students participated in this study. The participants completed a web-based mental health screening questionnaire including the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and information about number of worries, number of mentors, number of campus social networks, daily sleep duration, daily amount of internet video game playing and daily amount of internet searching on computer or smartphone. A moderated mediation analysis was carried out using the PROCESS macro which allowed the inclusion of mediators and moderator in the same model.ResultsThe results showed that the daily amount of internet video game playing and daily sleep duration partially mediated the association between the number of worries and the severity of depression. In addition, the mediating effect of the daily amount of internet video game playing was moderated by both the number of mentors and the number of campus social networks.ConclusionsThe current findings indicate that the negative impact of worry on depression through internet video game playing can be buffered when students seek to have a number of mentors and campus social networks. Interventions should therefore target individuals who have higher number of worries but seek only a few mentors or campus social networks. Social support via campus mentorship and social networks ameliorate the severity of depression in university students.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Insomnia, sleepiness, anxiety and depression among different types of gamers in African countries

“…In Europe and Asia, problematic gamers also tend to develop somatic and musculoskeletal diseases, due to their poor physical activity and their progressive addiction 7,67,69 . The prevalence is similar for adolescents and students, males and females 9,68,70 . Despite the increase of studies on gaming disorders and technology-related disorders around the world, this topic remains understudied in low-income countries and particularly in Africa.…”

“…Prevalence of gaming disorders in Africans is most closely related to findings in adolescent and student populations in Asian countries, associated with addictive behaviors and a high prevalence of problematic internet use 7 . A number of studies suggests that online gamers with longer weekly gaming hours tend to have more severe depressive and Internet addiction symptoms 67 , as well as sleep disorders 68,69 . In Europe and Asia, problematic gamers also tend to develop somatic and musculoskeletal diseases, due to their poor physical activity and their progressive addiction 7,67,69 .…”

Insomnia and problematic gaming: a study in 9 low-and middle-incomes countries

“…Our hypothesis is the following: problems associated with excessive gaming may be more of a physical nature in African countries as showed by the present research, whereas research in many other countries (Uk, Turkey, China, Norway, USA) indicates that excessive gaming is associated with mental health problems like sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, and cognitive decline 14,21,42,43,73 . The prevalence is similar for adolescent and students, males and females 14,72,74 . Despite the increase of studies on problematic gaming and technologyrelated disorders around the world, this topic remains understudied in low-income countries and in particular in Africa.…”

“…Prevalence of gaming disorders in our african sample is closed to findings in adolescent and student populations in Asian countries, associated with addictive behaviors and a high prevalence of problematic internet use 53 . A number of studies suggested that online gamers with longer weekly gaming hours tend to have more severe depressive and Internet addiction symptoms 73 , as well as sleep disorders 74,75 . In Europe and Asia, problematic gamers also tend to develop somatic and musculoskeletal diseases, due to their poor physical activity and their progressive addiction 53,73,75 .…”

Adolescence et technologie : besoins de savoir, de supervision et de reconnaissance | Adolescence and Technology: Need for Knowledge, Supervision and Acknowledgement

“…Cette combinaison permet aux jeunes d'être protégés contre les effets néfastes de la technologie et offre en même temps un apprentissage par les expériences vécues (Wisniewski et al, 2015). Lee et Jeong (2014) proposent un mentor, comme un parent ou intervenant, pour diminuer les effets négatifs de l'utilisation des outils technologiques.…”