Modern Psychological Studies
Volume
31
Number
1
Publisher
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Place of Publication
Chattanooga (Tenn.)
Date
2025
Abstract
Escapism, a coping mechanism used to relieve stress, uniquely characterized by removing one’s conscious self from reality, can be utilized by video gamers with depression to escape from their own realities. The implications of this phenomenon could allow researchers to better understand how escapism affects this community. It was predicted that there would be a positive relationship between escapist gaming motivations and depressive symptoms. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative survey methods drawing from undergraduate students at Austin Peay State University (n = 113) and correlational analyses, our hypotheses were supported. A significant positive relationship was found between escapist gaming motivations and depressive symptoms. For each gaming motivation measured, depressive symptoms were more likely to occur. These results could imply that video gamers with depression use video gaming as a coping mechanism for their mental health disorder. Understanding the motivations of video gamers with depression for gaming could allow researchers and practitioners to determine the best treatment and provide alternative coping mechanisms that suit their needs. This study sought to expand the knowledge on the relationship between video gaming, escapism, and depression in order to gain a better understanding of why individuals use gaming as an outlet.
Subject
Psychology
Discipline
Psychology
Document Type
article
DCMI Type
Text
Language
English
Rights
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Recommended Citation
Weberg, Hannah K. and Pica, Emily
(2025)
"Escapism: The Presence of Escapist Tendencies in Depressed Gamers,"
Modern Psychological Studies: Vol. 31:
No.
1, Article 6.
Available at:
https://scholar.utc.edu/mps/vol31/iss1/6
Department
Dept. of Psychology