The relationship between digital game addiction, online gambling addiction and self control

This study examined the relationship between digital game addiction, online gambling addiction, and self control. It also investigated their associations with sociodemographic variables—age, gender, region of birth, place of residence, education, employment status, income, and marital status—as well as behavioral factors including duration of play, preferred types, payment methods, motivation, time awareness, family and peer support, and loss-compensation tendencies. The research employed a relational screening model with 251 participants aged 18 and above. Data were collected through the Personal Information Form, the Game Addiction Scale for Adults, the Internet Gambling Disorder Scale, and the Brief Self Control Scale. Analyses included independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Tukey post hoc tests, and Pearson correlations. Results indicated higher digital game addiction among participants aged 45–64 and married individuals, with no significant differences for gender, region, residence, education, employment, or income. Online gambling addiction was higher among males and those not born in the Marmara region, but unrelated to age, residence, education, employment, income, or marital status. Self control showed no significant differences across sociodemographics. However, gameplay duration, goal setting, motivation, type, payment method, time of play, long-term experience, and loss-compensation significantly affected addiction levels, while goal setting, reward motivation, and extended gambling experience significantly influenced self control. A strong positive correlation was found between digital game addiction and online gambling addiction, and a weak yet significant positive correlation between both addictions and self control.