Abstract

• The primary purpose of this study was to investigate digital game addiction, aggression and loneliness among adolescents. In this study, a total of 715 adolescents (Grade Ten students, Grade Eleven students, university students and out-of-school adolescents) participated and quantitative research design was used. Regarding digital game addiction, the results indicated that male adolescents had higher total digital game addiction and all subscales of digital game addiction than female adolescents. Results revealed that adolescents who were 17-18 years old had higher than those who were 15-16 and 19-21 years old in total digital game addiction, tolerance, withdrawal and problems, while adolescents who were 19-21 years old had higher than those who were 15-16 years old in salience and problems. Results indicated that university students were significantly higher in salience and problems than Grade Ten and Grade Eleven students. Results revealed that there were significant differences in total digital game addiction and all subscales of digital game addiction by time spent playing digital games per day. Regarding aggression, results indicated that male adolescents had higher physical aggression than female adolescents whereas female adolescents had higher emotion and hostility than male adolescents. Results showed that there were no significant differences by age and education level in total aggression and all subscales of aggression. Results found that there was significant difference in physical aggression by time spent playing digital games per day. Regarding loneliness, results indicated that there were no significant differences of loneliness by gender and education level. Findings revealed that adolescents who were 19-21 years old had higher loneliness than those who were 15-16 years old. In addition, results indicated that there was significant difference in loneliness by time spent playing digital games per day. Furthermore, there were significant differences in aggression and loneliness by digital game addiction levels. Finally, adolescents’ digital game addiction was positively correlated with aggression and loneliness.