Relationship between social exclusion and prosocial-antisocial behavior in sports with digital game addiction among high school students

Digital game addiction plays an important role in social adaptation and psychological development by affecting social exclusion and behavioural tendencies in sports environments among adolescents. This study aims to examine the relationship between social exclusion and prosocial and antisocial behaviour in sports with digital game addiction among high school students. The study took into account demographic variables such as participants' gender, grade level, participation in sports, overall academic performance, parents' education level, family income level, and smoking habits. The study, conducted using a correlational survey method, utilised the 'Ostracization (Social Exclusion) Scale for Adolescents,' the 'Prosocial and Antisocial Behaviour in Sports Scale,' and the 'Digital Game Addiction Scale.' A total of 322 volunteer students, including 189 males and 133 females, who were enrolled at Çubuk Bey Anatolian High School, affiliated with the Ministry of National Education in Elazığ Province during the 2023-2024 academic year, participated in the study. Descriptive statistics of the data and comparisons between two and more than two groups were performed using t-tests and One-Way ANOVA tests, respectively, through the SPSS 25.0 software package, with a significance level of p<0.05. No significant differences were found in the sub-dimensions of social exclusion, prosocial-antisocial behaviour in sports, and digital game addiction based on the variables of parents' education and family income level (p>0.05). However, significant differences were found based on the variables of gender, class, overall academic performance, active participation in sports, and smoking (p<0.05). Based on the findings, it is recommended that regular sports activities be encouraged in schools, digital media literacy education be promoted, and programmes aimed at developing social skills be implemented in order to support the social adaptation of young individuals and reduce negative behaviours associated with digital game addiction.