Effects of resourcefulness on internet game addiction among college students: The mediating role of anxiety and the moderating role of gender

INTRODUCTION: The mechanism of internet game addiction is unclear. Whether anxiety mediates between resourcefulness and internet game addiction and whether gender affect its mediation role have not been studied previously. METHODS: A total of 4,889 college students from a college in southwest China were included in this study to complete the investigation, in which three questionnaires were used for evaluation. RESULTS: Pearson's correlation analysis indicated a remarkable negative correlation between resourcefulness with internet game addiction and anxiety, as well as a significant positive correlation between anxiety and this addiction. The structural equation model confirmed the mediation role of anxiety. The multi-group analysis confirmed the moderating role of gender in the mediation model. DISCUSSION: These findings have advanced the results of existing studies, indicating the buffering effect of resourcefulness on internet game addiction and revealing the potential mechanism of this relationship.