The moderating role of psychosocial well-being on the relationship between escapism and excessive online gaming

Abstract

Published as: Kardefelt-Winther, D. (2014). The moderating role of psychosocial well-being on the relationship between escapism and excessive online gaming. Computers in Human Behavior, 38, 68-74. AbstractThe purpose of this study was to empirically test the proposed theory of compensatory internet use, suggesting that people who play online games excessively are motivated to do so because they need to cope with psychosocial problems (Kardefelt-Winther, 2014a; Kardefelt-Winther, 2014b). The study used survey data from players of World of Warcraft (WoW), a popular MMO game. The indicators of psychosocial problems were high stress and low self-esteem and the motivation was escapism. The empirical analysis investigated interaction effects between indicators of psychosocial well-being and motivations. It was hypothesized that the relationship between escapism and negative outcomes would be positive for individuals with high stress or low self-esteem, which would be indicative of escapist online gaming as a coping strategy. However, this was only expected for individuals who experience more negative outcomes from their online gaming, which would highlight an important difference between those who experience many problems and those who experience few. The results showed that both stress and self-esteem moderated the relationship between escapism and negative outcomes as expected. In both cases, the relationship between escapism and negative outcomes was positive in the presence of more psychosocial problems (i.e. high stress or low self-esteem) for those who experience many negative outcomes, but not for those who experience few. The results support the theory of compensatory internet use and suggest that excessive online gaming may be a coping strategy for life problems.

An empirical examination of factors associated with Game Transfer Phenomena severity

“…However, the most noticeable difference between the groups was that more than half of those in the severe GTP group were significantly more likely to play for escape from the real world in comparison to the other two GTP groups, while less than half of the mild and moderate GTP groups played for escapism. Playing the game for escape may denote the individual enjoyment of getting immersed in the game, but can also indicate playing the videogame as a compensatory mechanism for escaping from day-to-day life stressors (Kardefelt-Winther, 2014), which has been associated with excessive play and gaming addiction (Kuss, Louws, & Wiers, 2012;Wan & Chiou, 2006). Moreover, it is interesting to note that playing for competition, and willingness to get immersed in the virtual world (which typically denote high engagement in the game) were less relevant for those that have experienced lower levels of GTP.…”

A Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Internet Addiction

“…This hypothesis was based on IA studies that suggest social context factors as antecedents of IA, to the extent that they reinforce feelings of loneliness and discomfort that may induce IA as an escaping and compensatory behavior (Douglas et al, 2008;Kardefelt-Winther, 2014;Young, 2009). Furthermore, research findings have supported the contention that adolescents' behavior and Internet use patterns are highly influenced by their context and their classroom in particular (Festl et al, 2013;Ryan & Patrick, 2001).…”

Technological Addictions and Social Connectedness: Predictor Effect of Internet Addiction, Social Media Addiction, Digital Game Addiction and Smartphone Addiction on Social Connectedness

“…Research have shown that internet addiction, social media addiction, smartphone addiction and digital game addiction are associated with "depression" (24)(25)(26)(27), "impulsivity" (7,(28)(29)(30), "loneliness" (31)(32)(33)(34), "sleep quality" (25,27,35,36), "well-being" (25,(37)(38)(39), "self-esteem" (33,34,40,41) and "academic performance" (24,(42)(43)(44). On the other hand, according to some researchers, the use of technology strengthens friendship, facilitates interpersonal conversations and communication, and allows establishing new social relations (45)(46)(47).…”