Gaming and Religion: The Impact of Spirituality and Denomination
Publication details
| Year: | 2016 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10943-015-0152-0 |
| Issued: | 2016 |
| Language: | English |
| Volume: | 55 |
| Issue: | 4 |
| Start Page: | 1462 |
| End Page: | 1469 |
| Editors: | |
| Authors: | Braun B.; Kornhuber J.; Lenz B. |
| Type: | Journal article |
| Journal: | Journal of Religion and Health |
| Topics: | Internet usage, practices and engagement; Risks and harms; Wellbeing; Other |
| Sample: | 5,990 young recruits from Switzerland with a mean age of 19.51 years |
| Implications For Policy Makers About: | Stepping up awareness and empowerment |
| Implications For Stakeholders About: | Researchers; Healthcare |
Abstract
A previous investigation from Korea indicated that religion might modulate gaming behavior (Kim and Kim in J Korean Acad Nurs 40:378–388, 2010). Our present study aimed to investigate whether a belief in God, practicing religious behavior and religious denomination affected gaming behavior. Data were derived from a Western cohort of young men (Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors, n = 5990). The results showed that a stronger belief in God was associated with lower gaming frequency and smaller game addiction scale scores. In addition, practicing religiosity was related to less frequent online and offline gaming. Finally, Christians gamed less frequently and had lower game addiction scale scores than subjects without religious denomination. In the future, these results could prove useful in developing preventive and therapeutic strategies for the Internet gaming disorder.
Outcome
"Our analyses revealed a significant inverse relationship between strength of belief in God and online gaming, GAS scores ... and the risk of excessive/addictive computer use. Moreover, among those young men who reported a belief in God, active religious practice was related to less frequent online gaming and less frequent playing on a console or PC. In addition, RD was significantly related to the frequency of online as well as console/PC gaming, the GAS score… and the prevalence of excessive/addictive computer use." (Braun et al. 2016, p. 1468)
"In conclusion, our findings indicate that R/S might have a preventive effect against excessive/addictive computer gaming." (Braun et al. 2016, p. 1470)