Introduction: Video game addiction has been the subject of increasing interest in the literature, being associated with patterns of insecure attachment and authoritarian and permissive parenting styles. However, there is still a knowledge gap regarding the relationship between video game addiction and parentchild communication, one of the fundamental components of parental attachment. In particular, in the Portuguese context, research on these topics and their interrelationships is still scarce, remaining largely unexplored. Objective: The study aims to analyze the pattern of video game use and addiction, as well as their relationships with attachment to parents and peers, parental parenting styles, and parenting communication. Methodology: The sample consisted of 150 Portuguese adolescents aged between 10 and 19 years. Data collection included a Sociodemographic and Academic Questionnaire, a Video Game Playing Patterns Questionnaire, the Video Game Addiction Scale Short Version 9, the People in My Life Questionnaire, the Portuguese version of the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire: Short Version, and the Parenting Communication Assessment Scale. Results: The majority of the sample reported starting video game play during the 3rd childhood (n = 81, 54.0%), with a playtime of less than or equal to 2 hours (n = 111, 74.0%), and only 2 participants were found to have a video game addiction index (1.3%). A positive association was found between video game addiction and the average hours of play, as well as a negative association with the age of starting to play. It was also found that video game addiction is negatively related to lower quality of attachment to parents and peers, positively related to an authoritarian parenting style, and negatively related to less available, open, and affectionate parentchild communication. Conclusion: This study provides an indepth understanding of adolescent behavior regarding video games, contributing to the knowledge of the topic in the Portuguese context. Furthermore, the identification of factors associated with video game addiction encourages the development of remediation and prevention programs for this addictive disorder.
Date of Award | 23 Feb 2024 |
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Original language | Portuguese |
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Awarding Institution | - Universidade Católica Portuguesa
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Supervisor | Berta Rodrigues Maia (Supervisor) & Paulo César Dias (Co-Supervisor) |
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- Adolescents
- Video game usage
- Video game disorder
- Communication in parenting
- Parenting styles
- Attachment
- Mestrado em Psicologia Clínica e da Saúde
Padrão de jogo e perturbação de videojogos em adolescentes portugueses: um estudo sobre a vinculação aos pais e aos pares, os estilos educativos parentais e a comunicação
Ribeiro, A. M. M. (Student). 23 Feb 2024
Student thesis: Master's Thesis