An Exploratory Examination of the Relationship Between Internet Gaming Disorder, Smartphone Addiction, Social Appearance Anxiety and Aggression Among Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Studies show a relationship between social appearance anxiety, aggression, and behavioral addictions. However, the relationship between social appearance anxiety, aggression, smartphone addiction, and Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) has not been investigated. The present study used a self-report survey to examine the structural relationships between social appearance anxiety, aggression, smartphone addiction, and IGD. The sample comprised 383 Turkish undergraduate students (50.9% male; 49.1% female), all of who played online videogames. The study comprised demographic information questions and the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale, Buss-Perry Aggression Scale, Smartphone Addiction Scale, and the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form. The relationships between scales were examined utilizing structural equation modeling. The findings showed that social appearance anxiety (β=.583) and smartphone addiction (β=.319) had a direct effect on IGD. Additionally, smartphone addiction partially mediated the association between aggression and IGD (β=.125). These findings suggest longitudinal research is needed to examine the temporal patterns and directionality between social appearance anxiety, aggression, smartphone addiction, and IGD. The present study results demonstrate that IGD may be associated with social appearance anxiety, smartphone addiction, and aggression. Therefore, to help reduce the incidence of IGD, interventions are needed among gamers to inhibit social appearance anxiety, reduce smartphone addiction, and decrease aggression.

Keywords

• Internet gaming disorder
• Smartphone addiction
• Social appearance anxiety
• Aggression
• Videogame playing