The Effects of Need Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction on Flourishing among Young Chinese Gamers: The Mediating Role of Internet Gaming Disorder.

Bryant Pui Hung Hui,Ming-Lun Chung,Anise M S Wu,Ngai Pun,Nicolson Y F Siu

doi:10.3390/ijerph16224367

Abstract

Given the increasing popularity of online game playing, the negative impacts of game addiction on both adolescents and adults attracted our attention. Previous studies based on the self-determination theory have examined the effects of the three basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness on problematic video game playing among Chinese young adults. Yet, as more evidence emerged pointing to the possible relation between need dissatisfaction and higher vulnerability for ill-being and psychopathology, the present study aimed to incorporate the impacts of both satisfaction and dissatisfaction for autonomy, competence, and relatedness in explaining Internet gaming disorder (IGD), a condition that may in turn impede eudaimonic well-being as indicated by flourishing. In a self-administered online survey with a valid sample of 1200 Chinese young adults aged 18–24 years (mean age = 19.48 years), the prevalence of probable IGD (for those who reported five or more symptoms in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) symptom list for IGD) was 7.5%. Our results showed that relatedness dissatisfaction positively predicted IGD symptoms after controlling for other need satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Also, flourishing was found to be negatively predicted by IGD. Finally, IGD was found to mediate the effect of relatedness dissatisfaction on flourishing. Our findings suggested a risk factor of relatedness dissatisfaction in predicting IGD, thereby significantly predicting flourishing.

Highlights

Self-determination theory (SDT) postulates that the existence of three basic psychological needs—namely, autonomy, competence, and relatedness—is essential for people to develop their fullest potential and attain personal growth [1,2]
Flourishing was negatively correlated with Internet gaming disorder (IGD), r(1198) = −0.14, p < 0.001, autonomy dissatisfaction, r(1198) = −0.08, p = 0.008, and relatedness dissatisfaction, r(1198) = −0.22, p < 0.001—not competence dissatisfaction—while positively correlated with autonomy satisfaction, r(1198) = 0.43, p < 0.001, competence satisfaction, r(1198) = 0.51, p < 0.001, and relatedness satisfaction, r(1198) = 0.43, p < 0.001
The present study enhanced our understanding of how different psychological need conditions, both satisfaction and dissatisfaction, are related to the development of IGD among Chinese young adults

Summary

Introduction

Self-determination theory (SDT) postulates that the existence of three basic psychological needs—namely, autonomy (the need to experience choice and psychological freedom), competence (the need to feel effective or a sense of mastery), and relatedness (the need to feel connected with significant others)—is essential for people to develop their fullest potential and attain personal growth [1,2]. There is ample scientific evidence suggesting that people who have met those psychological needs may experience high levels of personal well-being [3,4] and low levels of psychopathology, such as Internet gaming disorder (IGD) [5]. All statistical analyses were conducted with SPSS 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, N.Y., USA). A mediation analysis was conducted to test whether the relationship between psychological needs and flourishing would be mediated by IGD. Bootstrapped mediation tests were conducted based on 5000 bootstrapped resamples

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion