Predictors of Gaming Addiction Among University Students: Gender, Spiritual Well- Being, and Meaning in Life

Author/s: İbrahim Taş, Ahmet Uğurlu

DOI: http://doi.org/10.37898/spiritualpc.1550731 

Year: 2025 Vol: 10 Number: 2

Abstract

Gaming addiction has emerged as a pressing public health concern, attracting significant attention from researchers. Investigating the factors associated with gaming addiction can contribute to a better understanding of this issue. Spiritual well-being and meaning in life may be considered relevant constructs in this context. Accordingly, this study aims to examine the relationship between gaming addiction, spiritual well-being, and meaning in life among university students. The study sample comprised 420 university students, including 234 women (55.7%) and 186 men (44.3%), aged between 17 and 44 years (M = 21.82). Data were collected using a demographic information form, the Gaming Disorder Scale, the Spiritual Well-Being Scale, and the Meaning in Life Scale. The findings revealed a negative correlation between gaming addiction, spiritual well-being, and meaning in life. Furthermore, spiritual well-being and the presence of meaning subdimension negatively predicted gaming addiction, while gender was also found to be a significant predictor. These results suggest that higher levels of spiritual well-being and meaning in life may serve as protective factors against gaming addiction.

Keywords
Gaming addiction • Spiritual well-being • Meaning in life • Gender, Hierarchical regression