The mediating effect of emotional schemas in the relationship between online gaming addiction and life satisfaction

In this study, the relationships between online game addiction levels of university students who play online games and their life satisfaction, emotional schemas and demographic characteristics (gender, age, university, family socio-economic level) were examined with relational screening model. In the study, the mediating effect of emotional schemas on the relationship between online gaming addiction and life satisfaction was examined with structural equation modelling. The study group of the research consists of 549 university students who play online gamings. In the study, information about online gaming addiction was collected with "Online Gaming Addiction Scale", information about life satisfaction was collected with "Life Satisfaction Scale", and information about emotional schemas was collected with "Leahy Emotional Schema Scale". Data on some variables (gender, age, university, family socio-economic level) were collected with the "Personal Information Form" prepared by the researcher. In order to test the hypotheses of the study, correlation analysis, regression analysis, t-test and one-way variance analyses were performed. In addition, structural equation modelling was conducted to examine the mediating effect of emotional schemas in the relationship between online gaming addiction and life satisfaction. As a result of the research, it was concluded that there was a positive, low level and statistically significant correlation between the level of online gaming addiction and the emotional schemas of weakness towards emotions, demand for rationality, difference, duration, validation, seeing emotions as harmful and guilt, while there were negative, low level and statistically significant correlations with the emotional schemas of comprehensibility, avoidance of emotions and denial of emotions. It was concluded that there were positive, low and statistically significant correlations between the life satisfaction levels of university students and the emotional schemas of comprehensibility and acceptance of feelings, positive, low and statistically significant correlations with the emotional schemas of uncontrollability, demand for rationality, denial of emotions, consensus and seeing emotions as harmful, and negative, low and statistically significant correlations with the emotional schemas of rumination, difference and duration. It was also concluded that emotional schemas had a full mediation effect in the relationship between online gaming addiction and life satisfaction. In the study, it was concluded that male students had significantly higher levels of online gaming addiction than female students, and students whose family socio-economic level was in the upper income group had significantly higher levels of online gaming addiction than students in the lower and middle income group.