Video Games Linked to Poor Relationships
United Press International
Jan 26, 2009
PROVO, Utah -- A U.S. researcher found a link between a young adults' use of video games and poorer relationships with friends and family.
Brigham Young University undergraduate student Alex Jensen and his faculty mentor, Laura Walker, said the study is based on information collected from 813 college students around the country.
The study, published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, found that as the amount of time playing video games went up, the quality of relationships with peers and parents went down.
Study participants reported how often they play video games. They also answered a battery of questions measuring relationship quality, including how much time, trust, support and affection they share with friends and parents.
Statistical analysis also revealed that the more young adults play video games, the more frequent their involvement in risky behaviors like drinking and drug abuse, Jensen said.
Young adults who played video games daily reported smoking marijuana almost twice as often as occasional players, and three times as often as those who never play. For young women, self-worth was low if their video game time was high, the study said.
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