Who has the greatest influence on adolescent gaming disorder: parents, teachers, or peers? An interpersonal relationships network model of gaming disorder

Xinjie Tan; Chunlin Liu; WanJun Yang; Xiao Hui; Ling Zhang; Shuanghong Chen; Ying He

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1419014

Who has the greatest influence on adolescent gaming disorder: parents, teachers, or peers? An interpersonal relationships network model of gaming disorder

Front Psychiatry. 2024 Oct 7:15:1419014. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1419014. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Xinjie Tan^{1

2}, Chunlin Liu^{1

2}, WanJun Yang², Xiao Hui¹, Ling Zhang¹, Shuanghong Chen¹, Ying He^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical Psychology, Neurological Medical Center, Xinqiao Hospital and The Second Affiliated Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China.
² Department of Military Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Medical Psychology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China.

Abstract

Introduction: Gaming disorder (GD) in adolescents is associated with impaired interpersonal relationships, including those with parents, teachers and peers. However, the interpersonal relationships most strongly associated with GD-related maladaptive behaviors are not well established. This study aimed to investigate the associations between these three types of relationships and the manifestation of GD in adolescents.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 1920 Chinese adolescents participated in a survey that assessed interpersonal relationships (parent-child, teacher-student, and peer relationships) and demographic variables (e.g., gender, grade, duration of gaming), and 1414 participants were ultimately included. A network analysis approach was utilized to evaluate the key network metrics of edge weight and node centrality.

Results: The findings revealed that peer fear and inferiority (r = 0.12) and teacher-student conflict were most strongly correlated with GD, followed by parent-child conflict (r = 0.09). Peer fear and inferiority exhibited the highest strength centrality (0.84), followed by teacher-student conflict (0.83) and parent-child conflict (0.35). Moreover, the duration of gaming was significantly and positively correlated with GD (r = 0.19).

Conclusions: The present study underscores the significant role of conflict and rejection within interpersonal relationships, particularly among peers, in the manifestation of GD-related behaviors in Chinese adolescents.

Keywords: gaming disorder in adolescents; interpersonal relationships; network analysis; parent-child relationships; peer relationships; teacher-student relationships.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Funding for this study was provided by the Chongqing Science and Technology Joint Medical Science and Technology Innovation Four-Major Project General Project (#2023MSXM133). The content and opinions of the authors did not reflect the official positions of the Chongqing Municipal Health Commission, which played no role in the preparation of the manuscript or the decision to submit.