International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction | 2021
Online Gaming Addiction and Depressive Symptoms Among Game Players of the Glory of the King in China: the Mediating Role of Affect Balance and the Moderating Role of Flow Experience
Abstract
Recent research has identified a relationship between online gaming addiction (OGA) and depressive symptoms. However, little is known regarding the underlying mechanisms. The present study aims to test the moderating effect of flow experience in the association between OGA and depressive symptoms via affect balance. A total of 1050 game players of the Glory of the King completed measures of online gaming addiction, depressive symptoms, affect balance, and flow experience. Results showed that OGA was positively associated with depressive symptoms, and affect balance mediated that association. Flow experience exacerbated the negative relationships between OGA and affect balance while tempered the positive impact of affect balance on depressive symptoms. This study contributes to a better understanding of how OGA increases the risk of depressive symptoms, and reveals the dark side of flow experience among online game players. The importance of enhancing affect balance and reducing flow experience in preventing depressive symptoms is highlighted.