Internet Gaming Disorder and Unmet Psychological Needs: Mediating Roles of Self-Esteem, Depression, and Escapism

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is a widespread mental health issue especially among youth but its etiology remains unclear. The aim of this study was to test an integrative path model in which basic universal psychological needs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness predict IGD through the serial mediation of self-esteem, depression, and escape motivation. Study design was cross-sectional. A total of 331 Turkish gamers whose mean age was 22.7 years (SD=4.73) were recruited through purposive sampling. Among the participants, 57.1% (n=189) were male and 42.9% (n=142) were female. Online standardized self-report questionnaires for measuring IGD, gaming motivations, basic psychological needs satisfaction, self-esteem, and depression were filled out by the participants. In this regard, a personal information form, the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form, Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire, Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction Scale-In General, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale-Depression Subscale were administered. Men had higher mean IGD and gaming motivations scores compared to women. It was found that self-esteem, depression, and escapism serially mediated the association between basic psychological needs and IGD. The contribution of the findings to the relevant literature and clinical implications were discussed.