Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, via Venezia 8, 35131 Padova, Italy.
Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, via Venezia 8, 35131 Padova, Italy; Division of Psychology, School of Applied Sciences, London South Bank University, 103 Borough Road, London SE1 0AA, United Kingdom.
Addict Behav. 2024 Jan;148:107865. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2023.107865. Epub 2023 Sep 21.
Problematic gaming (PG) is a public health issue among adolescents worldwide. Although several studies have documented that peer influences constitute a relevant risk factor for adolescent problematic behaviors, little research is currently available on PG. The aim of this study was to examine the contribution of social norms and perceived friends' gaming frequency on participants' own gaming frequency and PG, by testing potential differences among groups with low vs. high motive to use the Internet (e.g., online gaming) as a coping strategy.
A survey was administered to 470 adolescent gamers (mean age = 15.49 years; SD = 1.05 years; 77.9 % males). A theoretical model was tested through path analysis and multi-group comparisons were performed.
Path analysis revealed that social norms and perceived friends' gaming frequency were positively associated to participants' gaming behaviors and PG. Additionally, different patterns between groups emerged.
Our findings confirmed the relative importance of peer influences on adolescents' gaming behaviors and PG and showed that adolescents who rely more on online gaming to cope with negative affect may be more vulnerable to social influence processes than other peers. These findings may provide useful indications for prevention programs targeting adolescent PG.
问题性游戏（PG）是全球青少年的公共卫生问题。尽管有几项研究记录了同伴影响是青少年问题行为的一个相关风险因素，但目前关于 PG 的研究很少。本研究旨在通过测试具有低与高上网动机（例如，在线游戏）的群体之间的差异，检验社会规范和感知朋友的游戏频率对参与者自身游戏频率和 PG 的影响，这些群体将作为应对策略。
对 470 名青少年游戏玩家（平均年龄= 15.49 岁；标准差= 1.05 岁；77.9%为男性）进行了一项调查。通过路径分析检验了理论模型，并进行了多组比较。
路径分析显示，社会规范和感知朋友的游戏频率与参与者的游戏行为和 PG 呈正相关。此外，不同群体之间出现了不同的模式。
我们的研究结果证实了同伴影响对青少年游戏行为和 PG 的相对重要性，并表明，那些更多地依靠在线游戏来应对负面情绪的青少年可能比其他同龄人更容易受到社会影响过程的影响。这些发现可能为针对青少年 PG 的预防计划提供有用的指导。
