How the Dark Triad associated with internet gaming disorder? The serial mediation of basic psychological needs satisfaction and negative coping styles

Xuan Xu; Ling-Feng Gao; Shuai-Lei Lian; Qian Chen; Zong-Kui Zhou

doi:10.1007/s12144-022-03996-x

How the Dark Triad associated with internet gaming disorder? The serial mediation of basic psychological needs satisfaction and negative coping styles

Curr Psychol. 2022 Dec 1:1-9. doi: 10.1007/s12144-022-03996-x. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Xuan Xu¹, Ling-Feng Gao², Shuai-Lei Lian³, Qian Chen¹, Zong-Kui Zhou¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China.
² Institute of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Zhejiang, China.
³ College of Education and Sports Sciences, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China.

Abstract

According to the I-PACE model, this study focused on the role of need satisfaction and negative coping styles in the relationship between the Dark Triad (i.e., Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism) and internet gaming disorder (IGD). In a sample of 749 emerging adult gamers, a multiple mediation model with Dark Triad as the distal variable, psychological need satisfaction and negative coping style as mediating variables, and IGD as the outcome variable was tested. Results indicated that Machiavellianism and psychopathy were found to be significant predictors of IGD when mediated by psychological need satisfaction and negative coping styles. Narcissism predicts IGD only through the indirect effect of negative coping styles. The findings enhanced our understanding that Machiavellianism and psychopathy are characterized by compensatory use of internet games, as well as added new perspectives to the understanding of addiction mechanisms in narcissists.

Keywords: Basic psychological needs; Dark Triad; Internet gaming disorder; Machiavellianism; Narcissism; Negative coping style; Psychopathy.

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