The roles of stress, non-digital hobbies, and gaming time in adolescent problematic game use: A focus on sex differences

This study examined the relationships among stress, gaming time, and problematic game use (PGU) in adolescents, evaluating whether non-digital hobbies (NDHs) may moderate these relationships. A total of 1447 Korean adolescents, aged 11–15 years (57.8% women), provided data on their stress levels, NDHs, average daily gaming time, and PGU. Results indicated that gaming time partially mediated the relationship between stress and PGU. Furthermore, the number of NDHs and the proportion of active NDHs did not moderate these relationships universally, but showed sex-differentiated patterns. When we analyzed active and passive NDHs as separate variables, we found that the positive relationship between stress and PGU was moderated by the active type (e.g., exercise) in men and the passive type (e.g., art) in women. That is, the more NDHs of each type, the greater the buffering effect on the direct effect of stress. The moderating effect on the relationship between stress and gaming time was not significant for either sex, regardless of the type of NDHs. These findings suggest that the effectiveness of NDHs in mitigating stress-induced PGU may be closely related to sex-specific preferences. Our study also suggests the need for tailored intervention strategies, moving beyond a one-size-fits-all approach, and instead supports more individually-tailored interventions that incorporate adolescents’ characteristics (e.g., sex).