Examining the Impact of Childhood Experiences, Perceived Stress, and Coping Strategies on Internet Gaming Disorder in Adolescents

Abstract

Besides being a major leisure activity, online gaming also has its role in recreation and
education purposes. But this has also been a leading cause of many psychological problems.
The objective of the present research is to examine the impact of perceived stress, childhood
experiences and coping strategies on adolescents with Internet Gaming Disorder. Correlational
research design was used along with purposive sampling to gather data from boys (n=158) and
girls (n= 98) of about 13-18 years of age. The participants must be utilizing at least 4-6 hours
on internet gaming on daily basis. Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen S. K., 1983) , Childhood
Experiences Questionnaire (CEQ-58, (Styła, 2018) , Measure of Adolescents Coping Strategies
scale (MACS) (Sveinbjornsdottir, 2017 ) and 10-item Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGDT-10)
(Király, 2015)) were used as measures for the research. The study revealed a noteworthy
positive correlation between coping strategies, perceived stress, childhood experiences, and
Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). Negative childhood experiences were predictive of Internet
Gaming Disorder (IGD). The study found that coping strategies played a significant mediating
role in the association between childhood experiences, perceived stress, and Internet Gaming
Disorder (IGD). There were no significant results observed regarding gender differences and
Internet Gaming Disorder. Instead of facing stressful situations, some people find their escape
in online gaming and shift their focus maladaptively from stressful situations to the game. This
maladaptive shift to online games makes the person feel he/she still can control things and
temporarily helps them to forget about the stressful event. The outcomes of this research could
be used as a mode of teaching and inculcating healthy and effective coping in adolescents who
believe that their time and energy should only be worthy if invested in game related difficulties.