Examining digital game addiction, cognitive flexibility and stress coping styles in adolescents

The aim of this study is to examine the mediating role of coping styles in the effect of cognitive flexibility on digital game addiction. The study was conducted with 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students studying at three different Anatolian high schools in Erzincan, with a total of 414 students participating in the research. As data collection tools, the "Personal Information Form," "Digital Game Addiction Scale," "Cognitive Flexibility Scale," and "Coping Scale for Children and Adolescents" were used. In this study, data analysis was performed using the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient, Independent Samples t-Test, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and the PROCESS Macro (Model 4) method. According to the findings of the research, a significant negative correlation was found between digital game addiction and cognitive flexibility. While significant negative correlations were identified between digital game addiction and the coping styles of help-seeking and problem-solving, significant positive correlations were found with cognitive avoidance and behavioral avoidance. It was determined that the help-seeking dimension of coping styles played a mediating role in the effect of cognitive flexibility on digital game addiction. The digital game addiction scores of the participants were found to differ significantly according to gender, parental marital status, and daily digital game playing time.