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College Student Video Gaming: Risk or Resilience for Mental Health?
Ishan N Vengurlekar1, Koushik R Thudi2
1Department of Educational Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Psychological Reports
|August 21, 2023
Summary
This study found minimal links between video gaming and college student stress or anxiety. Enjoyment of specific game genres did not change this relationship, except for life simulation games linked to anxiety.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Media Studies
- Digital Entertainment
Background:
- Video gaming is a prevalent entertainment source for college students.
- Existing research on video gaming's mental health impact yields inconsistent findings.
- Limited studies explore genre-specific effects on student mental well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if video game genre enjoyment moderates the relationship between gaming time and anxiety/stress in college students.
- To explore potential differential mental health outcomes across various video game genres.
Main Methods:
- College students completed surveys on mental health and video game genre engagement.
- Statistical analyses examined moderation effects of genre enjoyment on time spent gaming and mental health outcomes.
Main Results:
- No significant moderation was found for any video game genre.
- Increased time spent playing life simulation games was uniquely associated with higher anxiety levels.
- Overall, video gaming showed a minimal influence on college students' stress and anxiety.
Conclusions:
- Video game genre enjoyment does not significantly moderate the impact of gaming time on stress and anxiety.
- Life simulation games may warrant further investigation regarding their specific association with anxiety.
- Future research should explore underlying reasons for null findings and refine methodologies for studying gaming and mental health.
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