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Peer victimization and problematic internet game use among Chinese adolescents: A moderated mediation model of school engagement and grit

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Abstract

Peer victimization is associated with an increased risk of problematic internet game use (PIGU) in adolescence; however, the mechanism explaining this association remains unclear. The current study tested school engagement as a mediator between peer victimization and PIGU, and grit as a moderator of this mediated pathway. Chinese adolescents (N = 2116) 43.8% girls, 10–14 years old) completed self-report measures in their classrooms. SEM was used to test a moderated mediation model, with gender, age and socioeconomic status as covariates. Results showed that school engagement mediated the association between peer victimization and PIGU, and grit buffered the negative effects of both victimization and school disengagement on PIGU. The present study contributes to a better understanding of how and when peer victimization increases the risk of PIGU.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Major Program of the National Social Science Foundation of China (Grant No.18VZL009). The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect the views of the granting agencies. We thank the adolescents who participated in our study and the schools that assisted our study in various ways.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Sociolog, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China

    Lei Li

  2. Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, People’s Republic of China

    Jianjun Zhu

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  1. Lei Li
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  2. Jianjun Zhu
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Correspondence to Jianjun Zhu.

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Li, L., Zhu, J. Peer victimization and problematic internet game use among Chinese adolescents: A moderated mediation model of school engagement and grit. Curr Psychol 41, 1943–1950 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-00718-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-00718-z

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