Video game addiction moderates pathways from violent gaming to emotional blunting in adolescents: Serial mediation through desensitization and aggression.

Résumé

BACKGROUND: The psychological and social consequences of recurring exposure to Violent Video Games (VVGs) are a concerning issue of global health interest. Prolonged engagement with VVGs can lead to addiction, desensitizing adolescents to real-world violence and impairing their empathy. This desensitization may trigger various forms of aggression and result in emotional blunting.PURPOSE: This study aims to assess the mediation pathways between violent video gaming, desensitization, aggression, and blunted emotional reactions among adolescents using gaming addiction as a moderator.DESIGN AND METHODS: A descriptive, correlational, multi-group study was conducted among 501 randomly selected adolescents. The moderation and mediation analysis was used to identify the direct and indirect pathways linking the study variables.RESULTS: Adolescents with problematic videogaming (31.9%, n = 160) reported significantly higher scores in violent gaming, aggression, desensitization, and emotional blunting than non-problematic (p