Videogame, estados de humor, qualidade do sono e esquemas iniciais desadaptativos: Só mais uma partida

Abstract

Electronic games have undergone a technological revolution in recent decades with the development of consoles and popularization of personal computers and mobile phones. It is a market that generates billions of dollars annually, which impacts not only economic, but also social, cultural, and individual health. However, establishing relationships between this practice and psychological variables, which can be predictors and maintainers of this behavior, is still lacking. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between average daily gaming time, sleep quality, mood states (anxiety, depression, and stress), and personality aspects in young adults. For this purpose, 58 individuals (40 male, M = 22,4 anos e SD = 3,56) who played video games for at least one hour daily for recreational purposes completed an online questionnaire consisting of four self-report instruments:1) sociodemographic questionnaire and gaming-related questions; 2) DASS-21, which assesses mood states in the past week; 3) YSQ-S3, which evaluates personality aspects within the theoretical and methodological framework of Schema Therapy; and 4) PSQI, which assesses sleep quality in the past month. The results indicated a positive correlation between the age at which participants started playing video games and the levels of stress, anxiety, and sleep disorders. In addition, greater activation of early maladaptive schemes (EIDs) was observed in domains 1 (Disconnection and Rejection) and 5 (Overvigilance and Inhibition), as well as many associations between EIDs, mood states, and sleep quality. The findings described here reveal that playing video games may have been a strategy used by participants for socialization and, mainly, for emotional regulation.