Emily Howard and Drs. Larry Nelson and Sarah Coyne, School of Family Life

Anecdotal evidence suggests that ‘gamers’ tend to be socially withdrawn, keeping to themselves and their PlayStations. However, research connecting withdrawal and media use is conflicting and inconclusive, likely because the varying motivations leading to withdrawal are not fully considered1. An approach-avoidance model of social withdrawal uses 2 measures to address the differing motivations leading to the same withdrawn behaviors. The first, approach, measures a person’s desire to engage in social situations, whereas the second, avoidance, measures inhibition. Combined, they define 3 variations of withdrawal: shyness (high approach, high avoidance), unsociability (low approach, low avoidance), and avoidance (low approach, high avoidance).2 Each appears to be uniquely associated with varying indicators of maladjustment.3 Problematic media use (here defined as use of violent video games, online gambling, and pornography) generally correlates with negative behavioral and emotional effects.4 The purpose of this study was to examine whether particular types of withdrawal predict problematic media use, and whether there is a connection between these variables and problematic behavior

Participants consisted of 355 undergraduate students recruited from several different universities across the United States.5 A subgroup of 203 participants completed follow up data one year later.6 Participants completed a number of questionnaires examining withdrawal, media use, and problematic behavior. Withdrawal was measured with the Child Social Preference Scale,7 adapted for use with college students.8 Each of the variations of withdrawal was considered: shyness (e.g.,” I’d like to hang out with other people, but I’m sometimes nervous to”), unsociability (e.g., “I’m just as happy to be by myself as with other people”), and avoidance (e.g., “I like to be with people” – reverse coded). Media use was measured by asking participants to estimate the number of hours they spent in an average week using different types of media, including email, playing video games, playing violent video games, using social networking sites, gambling (online or offline), viewing pornography, and using the Internet in general.

Risk behaviors were measured using a 10 item scale that asked participants to estimate how frequently they engaged in a number of risky behaviors (e.g., “use illegal drugs”, “smoke cigarettes”, “shoplift or vandalize”).

Differences in media use were examined by withdrawal type. To assess longitudinal associations, a cross-lag structural equation model was estimated using AMOS (v. 20) with all three types of withdrawal predicting future shyness and risk behavior as mediated by problematic media.9 All 3 types of withdrawal predicted future withdrawal. Avoidant individuals tend to seek out more problematic forms of media as compared to average, unsociable, and shy individuals. Problematic media use mediates the relationship between avoidance and problematic behavior over time. Results highlight the importance of examining subtypes of withdrawal investigating associations between withdrawal and media use