Perceived parental rejection and gaming disorder among adolescents

The mediating role of subjective stress and depressive symptoms

Bibliographic Data

ID21452825
AuthorsRenata Glavak Tkalić (0000-0002-5749-0624, Institute of Social Sciences, corresponding author), Renata Glavak-Tkalić (Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences), Josip Razum (0000-0002-2633-3271, Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences), Goran Milas (0000-0002-7202-3338, Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences)
Year2025
Volume44
Issue7
Pages1446-1456
Publication date2025-04-21
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueBehaviour and Information Technology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0144-929X • E-ISSN: 1362-3001
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/0144929x.2024.2359043
OpenAlexW4399041294
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited75

Previous research suggests that both stress and depression, as well as parental rejection, are important factors in the development of gaming disorder (GD), but no studies so far have proposed a pathway leading from parental rejection via depression and stress to GD. The study aimed to examine the relationship between GD and perceived parental rejection, stress, and depressive symptoms, and to test the moderating effects of sex on these relationships. Data were collected among 1239 adolescents, with an average age of M = 16.77 (SD = .70), 50.3% of whom were females. 1.9% of adolescents met the criteria for GD (2.4% of boys and 1.4% of girls). Higher perceived parental rejection and higher levels of stress and depression were related to more GD symptoms, among male and female adolescents alike. Perceived parental rejection had no direct effect on GD. Only the indirect effects of parental rejection via depression on GD were significant. Research suggests that adolescents who report higher levels of parental rejection are more susceptible to depression and more likely to use gaming as a coping mechanism

Anxiety · Depressive symptoms · Developmental psychology · Psychiatry · Stress (linguistics) · Child Development and Digital Technology · Clinical Psychology · Digital Mental Health Interventions · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Psychology

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