Neuroticism and problematic online gaming: The mediating role of social anxiety and the moderating role of family socioeconomic status

Based on the hierarchical model of psychopathology, the theory of compensatory internet use, and the sociocultural self model of behaviour, this study examined whether social anxiety mediated the relationship between neuroticism and problematic online gaming, and whether this mediating process was moderated by family socioeconomic status (FSES). The theoretical model was tested using data collected from 598 Chinese undergraduates (M.sub.age = 19.45 years, SD = 1.63). These participants completed questionnaires anonymously. Testing for moderated mediation revealed that social anxiety partially mediated the association between neuroticism and problematic online gaming, with FSES moderating the second stage of it. Specifically, the indirect effect of neuroticism on problematic online gaming via social anxiety was significant only for undergraduates with low FSES. Results of this study extend research on the influencing factors of problematic online gaming and highlight the significance of uncovering the underlying mechanisms.
Author(s): Xiaoyuan Chu [sup.1] [sup.2] [sup.3] , Qi Wang [sup.4] , Weifeng Huang [sup.5] , Yuhui Wang [sup.6] , Jingyue Yu [sup.2] , Yang Zhou [sup.2] , Tiankuo Chen [sup.2] [...]