A recent study published in the journal Deviant Behavior has found a significant relationship between academic stress and increased video game use among adolescents. The research indicates that this connection is influenced by the adolescents’ confidence in their gaming abilities, suggesting that video games may serve as a coping mechanism for academic pressures.
Video games are increasingly popular, with over two and a half billion people globally engaging in gaming activities in 2020, a significant increase from previous years. This surge in gaming has sparked concerns about potential negative impacts, particularly among adolescents.
Professional organizations, including the World Health Organization and the American Psychiatric Association, have identified excessive gaming as a potential mental health disorder. Despite these concerns, not all adolescents who play video games excessively develop problematic behaviors, prompting researchers to investigate what differentiates those who do.
The study, led by Yeungjeom Lee of the University of Texas at Dallas, aimed to examine how stress and gaming efficacy jointly affect video game overuse. The researchers utilized data from the Game User Panel administered by the Korea Creative Content Agency, which included a longitudinal sample of 801 adolescents from South Korea. The participants, ranging from 10 to 16 years old, provided data over five years, from 2014 to 2018.
The study focused on two types of stress: academic and peer-related. Academic stress encompassed concerns over grades, exams, and schoolwork, while peer stress involved difficulties in communication and bullying. The researchers measured excessive gaming using a 20-question survey assessing behaviors such as neglecting responsibilities and social life due to gaming. Gaming efficacy, or the belief in one’s ability to succeed in video games, was also measured.
The findings indicated a strong link between academic stress and increased video game use. Adolescents experiencing higher levels of academic stress were more likely to engage in excessive gaming. This relationship, however, was not observed with peer-related stress, which did not show a significant connection to gaming behavior.
A crucial element that the researchers identified was the moderating effect of gaming efficacy. Gaming efficacy refers to an individual’s belief in their ability to succeed at playing video games. The study found that adolescents with higher gaming efficacy were more likely to use video games as a coping mechanism in response to academic stress. This suggests that for those who feel competent and successful in the gaming environment, video games serve as an effective escape from the pressures and frustrations associated with their academic challenges.
The study highlights that video games provide a structured environment with clear goals and immediate rewards, which can be particularly appealing to adolescents who face ongoing academic pressures. Unlike the often ambiguous and stress-inducing nature of academic performance, video games offer a sense of control and accomplishment. This sense of competence and achievement in the gaming world helps to mitigate the negative emotions associated with academic stress, making gaming a preferred coping strategy for many adolescents.
The researchers controlled for variables such as past gaming behavior, gender, age, daily gaming hours, self-control, self-esteem, peer support, parental attachment and supervision, and teacher support to ensure the accuracy of their findings.
But there are still some limitations to note. The data relied on self-reports, which can be subject to bias and inaccuracies. Additionally, the study did not account for different types of video games, which may have varying impacts on behavior. Future research should explore how different genres of games influence excessive gaming and whether these findings can be generalized to adolescents in other countries and cultures.
“Our research further reveals the complex relationship between stress, video game playing, and video game addiction,” the researchers concluded. “Our results suggest that different types of stress are not equivalent, and that it is important to consider the type of stress that individuals are experiencing. Our results also suggest that the value that individuals place on video games and on themselves as gamers may be one reason why some individuals can play video games without much consequence and others become addicted.”
The study, “Exploring the Relationship Between Stress and Excessive Gaming: The Role of Game Efficacy,” was authored by Yeungjeom Lee, Andrew Krajewski, Jihoon Kim, and Kerrie Ann Hull.