Examination of digital game addiction and family relationships of primary school fourth grade students

The aim of the study is to examine primary school students' digital game addiction and family relationships. For this purpose, explanatory sequential design, one of the mixed research methods, was used. Descriptive scanning and relational model were used in the quantitative dimension, and case study was used in the qualitative dimension. Personal information form, child interview form and parent interview form, Digital Game Addiction Scale for Children, Family Relations Scale were used as data collection tools. 725 primary school 4th grade students were included in the quantitative dimension of the research, and 9 primary school 4th grade students and their parents were included in the qualitative dimension using the random sampling method. In the analysis of quantitative data, Independent Samples t Test, ANOVA, Pearson Correlation and Bonferroni tests; Descriptive analysis was applied to analyze the qualitative data. The results of the study found that there was a negative relationship between digital game addiction and hindering family relationships, and a positive relationship between supportive family relationships. While there was no significant difference in students' digital game addictions according to age, number of siblings, mother's education level, having a room and time spent with the family; A significant difference was found according to the variables of gender, perceived school success, father's education level, ownership of a digital tool and duration of playing digital games. While there is a significant difference in hindering family relationships according to gender, perceived school success, parents' education level, time spent playing digital games and time spent with the family; In supportive family relationships, there is a significant difference according to the number of siblings, perceived school success, educational status of parents, ownership of a digital device, time spent playing digital games, ownership of a room and time spent with the family. In the interviews, most of the students and parents expressed the opinion that digital games affected family relationships.