Abstract
The roles of age, social intelligence and parent-child communication in moderating the association between digital game playing and direct and indirect aggression were examined in 478 Finnish 10- and 13-year-old schoolchildren based on self-reports. The results confirmed that digital game violence was directly associated with direct aggression, especially at age 10, but only among boys. The moderating role of social intelligence was substantiated among older boys: game violence was associated with indirect aggression among those with high level of social intelligence. Further, as hypothesized, digital game playing was associated with direct aggression especially when parent-child communication was poor, but only among boys. Our findings emphasize the importance of individual and situational factors as moderators of the link between game violence and aggression.
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Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the grants from the Academy of Finland (201669), the Information Society Institute of the University of Tampere and the Tampere University of Technology (16-01), and the Competitive research funding of the Pirkanmaa Hospital District (9G211). We are grateful to the schools for cooperation and to the children and adolescents who participated in the study. We thank Minna Rantanen, Riikka Haakana, Marja Vajaranta, Marjatta Radecki, Susanna Rainio, Lasse Pere, and Tomi Lintonen for assistance in data collection and Marjatta Radecki and Hanna Hölttä for coding the data. We also thank Mrs. Marja Vajaranta, University of Tampere, for revising the language.
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Marjut Wallenius is a Senior researcher, Department of Psychology, University of Tampere. She is currently conducting a longitudinal study on information and communication technology and adolescent development and health.
Raija-Leena Punamäki is a Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Tampere. She is specialized in mental health, child development, and family relationships among trauma victims. Her research interests also include symbolic processes such as playing, dreaming and imagination.
Arja Rimpelä is a Professor, Tampere School of Public Health, University of Tampere. Her research has focused on adolescent health and health behaviors, socio-demographic health differences, and evaluation of health promotion activities.
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Wallenius, M., Punamäki, RL. & Rimpelä, A. Digital Game Playing and Direct and Indirect Aggression in Early Adolescence: The Roles of Age, Social Intelligence, and Parent-Child Communication. J Youth Adolescence 36, 325–336 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-006-9151-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-006-9151-5