Citation

Chen S, Yi Z, Wei M, Liu Y. Cyberpsychol. Behav. Soc. Netw. 2022; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Mary Ann Liebert Publishers)

DOI

10.1089/cyber.2022.0065

PMID

36099181

Abstract

Past research has provided abundant evidence that violent video game exposure (VVGE) increases aggressive behavior and decreases prosocial behavior. So far, these effects have been explained mainly as resulting from changes in the existing knowledge structures of cognition, affect, or personality, such as desensitization to violence, empathy deficits, or impulsivity deficits. Following the extended General Aggression Model (GAM), the present research examined the role of deviant peer affiliation in VVGE's effects on aggressive and prosocial behavior. A total of 2,152 (46.4 percent male) Chinese children and adolescents completed a self-reported scale for VVGE, deviant peer affiliation, trait aggression, and prosocial behavior. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. The results showed that deviant peer affiliation mediated the effects of VVGE, thus supporting the new paths of GAM and broadening the current understanding of the consequences of VVGE.

Language: en

Keywords

aggressive behavior; deviant peer affiliation; GAM; prosocial behavior; violent video game exposure