The transactional cycle between neuroticism and Internet gaming disorder in adolescents: Future time perspective as a...

Based on the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model, this study tests a transactional model in which neuroticism and Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) are prospectively linked over time, with Future Time Perspective (FTP) as a candidate cognitive pathway connecting them in adolescents.

In a three-wave longitudinal study with 6-month intervals, 1,567 Chinese adolescents (44.9% boys; mean age = 15.41 years, SD = 0.52 at baseline) reported on their neuroticism, FTP, and IGD symptoms. A cross-lagged panel model was used to test the hypothesized reciprocal dynamics.

Neuroticism was indirectly associated with IGD through FTP, with neuroticism negatively predicting FTP (βs = -0.15 to -0.11, ps ≤ 0.001), and FTP in turn negatively predicting IGD (βs = -0.15 to -0.13, ps < 0.001). Significant reverse paths also emerged: IGD predicted higher subsequent neuroticism (βs = 0.12 to 0.14, ps < 0.001) and lower subsequent FTP at the first interval (β = -0.10, p < 0.001).

These results provide longitudinal evidence for a transactional model in which neuroticism and IGD are prospectively linked, with FTP as a candidate cognitive pathway carrying small indirect effects in both directions. Interventions aimed at fostering future-oriented cognition may be a useful component for disrupting the development and maintenance of IGD in adolescents.