Abstract
With the rise of digital technology, gaming has emerged as a widely favored pastime among children. However, concerns have been raised about excessive gaming and its potential negative effects. This study aimed to examine patterns of changes in adolescent time spent on online gaming over a five-year period. Data from a Game User Panel Survey involving 775 adolescents (female 50.8%) aged 10-18 years were analyzed using latent class growth analysis. Five distinct longitudinal patterns of time spent on gaming were identified: high-decreasing, high-maintain, highest-maintain, mid-decreasing, and low-increasing. These patterns were associated with various factors, including gender, self-control, loneliness, academic stress, parental behaviors, and friend support. This study emphasizes the need to understand the different patterns of gaming time among adolescents in order to develop targeted interventions that effectively address excessive gaming.
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Data are available at the following URL: https://www.kocca.kr/gameguide/subPage.do?menuNo=203709
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Changmin Yoo designed the study, performed statistical analyses and wrote the manuscript.
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Yoo, C. Psychosocial factors and changing patterns of prolonged online gaming in adolescents. Curr Psychol 43, 18375–18388 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-05667-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-05667-5