Online Gaming en Sociaal Welzijn bij Adolescenten: Is er een Verband?

Abstract

This current research studies the connection between participation in online gaming with social interaction and the social well-being for adolescents. Two aspects of social well-being, social integration and social acceptance, were the main focus of this research. A sample of 80 participants (n= 44 boys; n= 36 girls) between 12 and 16 years old were asked to fill in an online survey. This survey measured the two aspects of social well-being based on the survey by Keyes (1998). The T-tests reported a significant connection between online gaming and social acceptance, social integration and social well-being. The conclusion of this research is that the participation in online gaming with social interaction by adolescents has an influence on their social well-being. However, due to many limitations, this results can not be generalised for the population. Recommendations for follow-up studies include the use of a longitudinal research, bigger and more representative samples and the use of the complete definition of social well-being, as given by Keyes (1998).