Life satisfaction and problematic online gaming among young adults: the mediating roles of depression, anxiety, and stress

Objective: Problematic online gaming has emerged as a growing concern among young adults, often linked to reduced well-being and increased mental health problems. This study aimed to investigate whether depression, anxiety, and stress mediate the relationship between life satisfaction and problematic online gaming among young adults. Method: A total of 336 Turkish students participated in this cross-sectional study by completing self-reported measures of life satisfaction, depression, anxiety, stress, and problematic online gaming via an online survey. Results: Results indicate that lower life satisfaction related to higher levels of stress and depression, which in turn increase problematic online gaming behaviors. In contrast, anxiety did not have a significant mediating role, since its confidence interval included zero. Conclusions: In conclusion, both direct and indirect associations were found between lower life satisfaction and problematic online gaming, through stress and depression. Anxiety was not found to have a significant mediating effect in this relationship. These findings suggest that interventions aimed at enhancing life satisfaction and reducing psychological suffering could help to prevent such behavior.