Associations between different aspects of video game play behavior and adolescent adjustment

Abstract

Playing video games during adolescence has been linked to both positive and negative outcomes, but it remains unclear which specific aspects of gaming behavior are associated with adjustment. The current study examines the association between distinct aspects of video game play behavior and adolescent adjustment. We focused on five aspects, namely, gaming frequency, the social context, gamer identification, type of game, and motivation for playing. Participants included 705 Dutch adolescents (33.5% female, Mage = 14.07), who completed a survey including self-report and sociometric measures. Results indicated that the frequency of playing games was not associated with adolescent adjustment. However, significant associations did appear for social context, genre of games, and motivation for playing. In addition, the different aspects of gaming showed both beneficial and deleterious relations with adjustment. This research indicates the importance of disaggregating gaming behavior and the necessity to look beyond frequency of play in order to fully understand the impact of gaming on youth.