Video games and close relations: Attachment and empathy as predictors of children's and adolescents' video game social play and socio-emotional functioning

Abstract

This cross-sectional study examined the differential associations between attachment patterns and empathy and children's and adolescents' aggressive, prosocial and interpersonal video game play and peer relations. The sample was composed of 1391 Israeli children and adolescents, aged 9–15 who rated their recent video-game involvement in terms of violent, prosocial and interpersonal interactions. Dispositional attachment styles and empathy were measured, as well as social satisfaction, prosociality, peer support, subjective well-being, and aggressive behavior in daily life. The results confirmed the relationship between type of video game involvement, social functioning, and well-being. Prosocial and interpersonal video game play were related to greater social satisfaction, peer support, and prosocial behavior, which led to increased well-being, whereas violent video game play was related to increased school bullying, and lower social satisfaction and prosociality. Secure attachment was related to increased empathic concerns and higher levels of prosocial and interpersonal interactions in video game use. Children with attachment anxiety or avoidance engaged in significantly less prosocial video game behavior. These findings challenge the assumption that violence in video games is inevitably related to negative social consequences and points to the potential of video games to serve basic attachment and prosocial needs that can promote close relations.