TY - JOUR
T1 - Adolescents’ videogame play, need satisfaction, and self-esteem
T2 - a self-determination perspective
AU - Noon, Edward
AU - Carbone, Luca
AU - Swinnen, Brent
AU - Vandenbosch, Laura
PY - 2024/6
Y1 - 2024/6
N2 - Initial evidence suggests that need-supportive videogame play can have positive short-term effects on adolescents’ need satisfaction, and may therefore help to promote positive well-being. However, less is currently known about the long-term interrelations between need-supportive videogame play, global need satisfaction, and adolescent well-being. Thus, guided by self-determination theory and broaden-and-build theory, this study explored the longitudinal reciprocal relationship between adolescents’ need-supportive gameplay and self-esteem, via global need satisfaction. The moderating effect of gender was also examined. Three-wave panel data were collected from 405 Belgian adolescents between September 2021 and September 2022 (M age = 15.13, SD = 1.52; Female = 64.20%), and data were analyzed using random intercept cross-lagged panel models. The valence, strength, and consistency of within-person cross-lagged associations differed across the basic psychological needs, and gender had no moderating effect on the hypothesized models. Results therefore suggest that the uniform positive effects of need-supportive gameplay on adolescent well-being tend to be short-lived, and that over time, videogame play tends to satisfy some basic psychological needs more than others. Findings add to the emerging literature regarding videogame play and positive adolescent well-being, and results emphasize the importance of investigating the long-term implications of adolescent videogame play.
AB - Initial evidence suggests that need-supportive videogame play can have positive short-term effects on adolescents’ need satisfaction, and may therefore help to promote positive well-being. However, less is currently known about the long-term interrelations between need-supportive videogame play, global need satisfaction, and adolescent well-being. Thus, guided by self-determination theory and broaden-and-build theory, this study explored the longitudinal reciprocal relationship between adolescents’ need-supportive gameplay and self-esteem, via global need satisfaction. The moderating effect of gender was also examined. Three-wave panel data were collected from 405 Belgian adolescents between September 2021 and September 2022 (M age = 15.13, SD = 1.52; Female = 64.20%), and data were analyzed using random intercept cross-lagged panel models. The valence, strength, and consistency of within-person cross-lagged associations differed across the basic psychological needs, and gender had no moderating effect on the hypothesized models. Results therefore suggest that the uniform positive effects of need-supportive gameplay on adolescent well-being tend to be short-lived, and that over time, videogame play tends to satisfy some basic psychological needs more than others. Findings add to the emerging literature regarding videogame play and positive adolescent well-being, and results emphasize the importance of investigating the long-term implications of adolescent videogame play.
U2 - 10.1007/s12144-024-05933-6
DO - 10.1007/s12144-024-05933-6
M3 - Article
SN - 1046-1310
VL - 43
SP - 21192
EP - 21207
JO - Current Psychology
JF - Current Psychology
ER -