The mediator's role of communication skills in the effect of social skills on digital game addiction

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of communication skills, which has a decisive role in people's healthy interaction with others, between social skills that enable the construction of social networks and digital game addiction. The study was conducted as a relational survey quantitative research model. A total of 474 university students, 232 of whom were female and 242 were male, comprised the participants of the study. The Social Skills Scale, the Communication Skills Scale, and the Digital Game Addiction Scales were used in this research. The data were analyzed using the AMOS-23 program. Results of the analysis showed that social and communication skills were strongly negatively related to digital game addiction, while communication skills were a solid mediator between social skills and digital game addiction. When the results are evaluated holistically, it is thought that digital games are an important escape area for individuals with low social and communication skills.

Keywords

• Social skills
• Communication skills
• Digital game addiction
• Behavioral addiction
• Online game