Open Access

ARTICLE

How Autonomy Support Environment Influences Student Online Game Addiction: The Mediating Roles of Academic Motivation and Academic Perseverance

by Lingling Li¹, Jingjing Liang¹, Shuzhen Chen^2,*

1 Institute of Higher Education, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
2 Department of Educational Administration and Policy, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, China

* Corresponding Author: Shuzhen Chen. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Understanding Various Addictive Behaviors in the Digital Era: Types, Prevalence, Predictors, Mechanisms, and Health Consequences)

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2024, 26(10), 777-790. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2024.056988

Received 04 August 2024; Accepted 27 September 2024; Issue published 31 October 2024

Abstract

Background: Online game addiction has become a serious global public health problem among adolescents. However, its influencing factors and mediating mechanisms remain ambiguous. Methods: The present study adopted stratified random sampling to collect 6146 junior high school student samples in mainland China. We used regression analysis, and Bootstrap mediation test through SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 24.0 to reveal the tendency of students’ online game addiction with different background characteristics and whether autonomy support from parents and teachers can effectively reduce online game addiction. Results: The results showed that parental (β = −0.112, p < 0.001) and teacher (β = −0.225, p < 0.001) autonomy support were conducive to reducing students’ online game addiction. Academic perseverance (β = −0.080, 95% CI = [−0.103, −0.058]) and academic motivation (β = −0.073, 95% CI = [−0.095, −0.052]) partially mediated the relationship between autonomy support and online game addiction. Conclusion: This result provides a theoretical basis for educational interventions. It suggests that strengthening autonomy support could enhance students’ academic perseverance and motivation and further reduce online game addiction. This study utilized a cross-sectional research design, making it difficult to determine the causal relationship between autonomy support environment and online game addiction.

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Keywords

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