Abstract
Based on the Dual Systems Model (Somerville et al., 2010; Steinberg, 2010a) and the biosocial-affect model (Romer and Hennessy, 2007) of adolescent sensation seeking and problem behaviors, the present study examined how (affective associations with online games as a mediator) and when (impulsivity as a moderator) did sensation seeking influence online gaming addiction in adolescence. A total of 375 Chinese male adolescents (mean age = 16.02 years, SD = 0.85) from southern China completed anonymous questionnaires regarding sensation seeking, positive affective associations with online games, impulsivity, and online gaming addiction. Our findings revealed that sensation seeking, positive affective associations with online games and impulsivity were each significantly and positively associated with online gaming addiction in adolescents. Positive affective associations mediated the relationship between sensation seeking and online gaming addiction. Further, impulsivity moderated the relationship between positive affective associations and online gaming addiction, such that the association between positive affective association and online gaming addiction was stronger for high than for low impulsivity adolescents. These findings underscore the importance of integrating the biosocial-affect model and the Dual Systems Model to understand how and when sensation seeking impacts adolescent online gaming addiction.
Highlights
With ever more people having convenient access to high-speed internet, online gaming has become increasingly popular, among adolescents
Sensation seeking and positive affective associations with online games were entered in the linear regression model
We reported how sensation seeking and when impulsivity relate to online gaming addiction in adolescence
Summary
With ever more people having convenient access to high-speed internet, online gaming has become increasingly popular, among adolescents. Internet addiction is associated with an increased prevalence of externalizing problem behaviors (e.g., substance use and sexual intercourse; Ko et al, 2008; Sung et al, 2013), and internalizing problem behaviors (e.g., depression and social anxiety; Ko et al, 2014) These problem behaviors have been shown to be significantly related to sensation seeking (Smith et al, 1992; Crawford et al, 2003; Mann et al, 2015; EngelYeger et al, 2016). There is accumulated evidence on the positive effect of sensation seeking on adolescents’ internet addiction (Ko et al, 2006; Li et al, 2010, 2016; Bitton and Medina, 2015), few studies have examined the relationship between sensation seeking and online gaming addiction (Mehroof and Griffiths, 2010) It remains largely unclear how (i.e., the mediating mechanism) and when (i.e., the moderating mechanism) does sensation seeking influence online gaming addiction. Addressing these issues are key to understanding the etiology of online gaming addiction and to developing effective intervention programs (Li et al, 2010)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
