A Latent Profile Analysis for the Study of Multiple Screen Addiction, Mobile Social Gaming Addiction, General Mattering, and Family Sense of Belonging in University Students

Abstract

During the COVID-19 period, individuals who physically isolated themselves from the social environment increased their screen time compared to before, and the time spent in the family environment increased. Increasing screen time is considered a factor that increases addiction. In this context, the purpose of this study was to examine the profiles of university students according to multiple screen addiction, mobile social online gaming addiction, and general mattering. The participants of this study are 588 university students. Personal information form and four different scales were used in the study. The latent profile analysis was used to analyze the data. As a result of the research, four different sets of participants were formed. The variables excessive behavior, compulsive behavior, and loss of control increase the likelihood that students will be clustered in the average profile. It was observed that all variables except gender and age increased the probability of clustering in the medium multiple screen addiction low gamers profile. It was observed that excessive behavior, compulsive behavior, and loss of control variables increased the probability of clustering in the high multiple screen addiction high gamers profile. As a stronger predictor than other profiles, it was determined that the probability of students performing high multiple screen addiction high gameplay activities was approximately 3 times more than the students in profile 1.