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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Education and Promotion
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1544044
This article is part of the Research Topic Monitoring and Promoting Physical Exercise and Physical Performance in Esports Players View all 9 articles

The Moderating Effects of Physical Activity on Social Anxiety and Sleep Disturbance: Managing Gaming Disorder in Young E-sports Players

Provisionally accepted
Serdar Solmaz Serdar Solmaz 1*Mehmet İnan Mehmet İnan 2Mustafa Yaşar Şahin Mustafa Yaşar Şahin 3
  • 1 Batman University, Batman, Türkiye
  • 2 Bozok University, Yozgat, Yozgat, Türkiye
  • 3 Faculty of Sport Sciences, Gazi University, Ankara, Ankara, Türkiye

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) has emerged as an increasing public health concern, particularly among adolescent and young e-sports players in recent years. The immersive and competitive nature of online gaming has been associated with an increase in mental health issues such as anxiety and insomnia among individuals with IGD. This study aims to examine the potential relationship between IGD, social anxiety, and insomnia, investigate the mediating role of social anxiety in this relationship, and explore the moderating role of physical activity in alleviating the negative effects of IGD.Methods: The study involved 475 adolescent and young e-sports players aged 14–24, who typically engage in an average of 6 hours of gaming per day. Participants completed the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form, Social Anxiety Inventory, Insomnia Severity Index, and Physical Activity Frequency Question. Correlation and moderation analyses were used to examine the proposed relationships.Results: The findings revealed significant positive associations between IGD, social anxiety, and insomnia. Moreover, physical activity demonstrated a negative correlation with both social anxiety and insomnia. Notably, physical activity served as a moderator in the relationship between IGD and both social anxiety and insomnia, with higher levels of physical activity attenuating the adverse effects of IGD.Conclusions: This study illuminates the intricate relationship between IGD, social anxiety, and insomnia among adolescent and young e-sports players. The findings suggest that promoting physical activity may alleviate the negative psychological implications associated with IGD. These results provide important insights for the formulation of targeted intervention strategies aimed at this demographic.

    Keywords: e-sports, Gaming addiction, Mental Health, active lifestyle, Youth and adolescents

    Received: 12 Dec 2024; Accepted: 13 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Solmaz, İnan and Şahin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Serdar Solmaz, Batman University, Batman, Türkiye

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.