The relationships among family functioning, gaming addiction, and violent behavior in children and adolescents: study during the COVID-19 pandemic
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64838/jmht.2025.278046Keywords:
children and adolescents, COVID-19, family functioning, gaming addiction, violent behaviorAbstract
Objective: To explore the relationships among family functioning, violent behavior, and game addiction in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: A mixed method approach was employed. Quantitative data were collected via an online cross-sectional survey, involving 596 parents of children aged 6 - 18 years across four regions of Thailand. The questionnaires included socio-demographic information, the Chulalongkorn Family Intervention, the Game Addiction Screening Test, and the Adolescent Violent Behavior Inventory. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, multivariate linear regression, and path analysis. Qualitative data was obtained through in-depth interviews with 15 parents of children and adolescents at risk of gaming addiction. Narrative analysis was used to interpret the qualitative findings.
Results: The findings revealed that 32.4% of families demonstrated poor levels of family functioning. Among children and adolescents, 26.7% were likely to have gaming addiction, while 4.6% exhibited violent behavior. Family functioning was found to have a weak negative correlation with violent behavior (r = -0.332), both directly and indirectly via gaming addiction. Gaming addiction had a weak positive correlation with violent behavior (r = 0.362). According to the interviews, parents reported that, during the pandemic, their children were more addicted to games due to increased screen time and lack of constructive activities. Parents also reported being unable to properly supervise their children due to struggling with time management. Many also acknowledged concerns about being poor role models because of their own excessive media use.
Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted family functioning, game addiction, and violent behavior among Thai children and adolescents. These findings underscore the importance of promoting appropriate parenting skills and strengthening family functioning as protective factors for children's mental health during times of social crisis.
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