| Abstract [eng] |
As online gaming becomes an increasingly accessible and appealing activity, it has been observed that for some people, it may do more harm than good. Consequently, there has been a growing body of research examining the factors that may contribute to the risk of problematic online gaming. The aim of this study was to assess the associations between problematic online gaming and gaming motives and psychological well-being in a sample of the Lithuanian population. This study was conducted as part of the project “The Risk Profile of Internet Gaming Disorder: A Multidisciplinary Perspective on Genetic, Psychological, and Behavioural Factors.” (No. S-MIP-25-59). The study included 160 participants, aged 18 to 45 (M = 27.84, SD = 6.89), of whom 52.8% were women and 46.6% were men. The study sample was collected using convenience sampling with non-probability sampling. Participants were invited to participate in the study via social media and various events where the gaming community gathers. The study utilized the “Nine-Item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale” (Pontes & Griffiths, 2015), the “Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire” (Demetrovics et al., 2011), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (Kroenke & Spitzer, 2002), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (Spitzer et al., 2006). It was found that more severe problematic gaming was associated with higher scores on all gaming motives and more severe symptoms of depression. Mediational analysis showed that gaming motives explain the effect of depression on problematic engagement in online gaming. These results highlight the importance of gaming motives in better understanding problematic gaming and in developing effective preventive and intervention measures. |
