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Violent video games, externalizing behavior, and prosocial behavior: A five-year longitudinal study during
Sarah M Coyne1, Wayne A Warburton2, Lee W Essig1
1School of Family Life, Brigham Young University.
Developmental Psychology
|September 21, 2018
Summary
Playing violent video games was linked to less prosocial behavior in adolescents, mediated by reduced benevolence. Early exposure showed cross-sectional links to externalizing behavior, but not long-term.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Media Studies
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Longitudinal studies on media violence effects often focus narrowly on aggression and prosocial behavior.
- Limited research has explored mediators like empathy, benevolence, and self-regulation in the context of violent video game exposure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the longitudinal associations between violent video game play and externalizing/prosocial behaviors in adolescents over five years.
- To examine the mediating roles of empathic concern, benevolence, and self-regulation in these relationships.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study involving 488 adolescents and their parents, with data collected at three time points, two years apart.
- Self-report and parental measures assessed violent video game exposure, externalizing behaviors, prosocial behaviors, empathic concern, benevolence, and self-regulation.
Main Results:
- Early exposure to violent video games was indirectly associated with lower prosocial behavior, mediated by lower benevolence.
- Violent video game play was cross-sectionally linked to higher externalizing behavior, but this association did not persist over the five-year study period.
Conclusions:
- Benevolence may be a key mediator explaining the negative impact of violent video games on prosocial behavior in adolescents.
- While immediate links to externalizing behavior exist, the long-term impact of violent video games on externalizing behavior requires further investigation.
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