Spirituality Studies 10-1 Spring 2024 93 Veronika Mihaliková, Mária Dědová, Vladimír Filipovič 3 Discussion The aim of the research was to analyse the symptoms of Internet Gaming Disorder in the context of spirituality and life satisfaction in selected Slovak adolescents. The purpose of the research analysis was to examine the protective effect of life satisfaction and spirituality in adolescents in the context of Internet Gaming Disorder. The results of the study showed a 5.8% prevalence of Internet Gaming Disorder among Slovak adolescents. Compared to other European countries such as Germany 0.16–3.21% (Wartberg et al. 2020, 33), Northern Europe 0.72–21.76% (Vadlin et al. 2018, 7; Stevens et al. 2020, 5), Hungary 4.33– 4.56% (Király et al. 2014, 5; Pápay et al. 2013, 142), Czech Republic 3.31% (Király et al. 2019, 12), a higher prevalence of Internet Gaming Disorder can be noted. With regard to gender, boys showed higher rates of Internet Gaming Disorder symptoms compared to girls. Males experience more intense symptoms of Internet Gaming Disorder than females, which is supported by several studies with a 4:1 ratio in favour of males (Műller et al. 2014, 7). Gaming, whether online or offline, is negatively related to spirituality (Braun et al. 2016, 5), and it is higher levels of spirituality that appear to be associated with a lower risk of addictive gaming, and thus act as a protective effect. In the context of protective factors, peer support, in addition to existential well-being, has been shown to reduce the likelihood of occurrence and development of Internet Gaming Disorder (Utomo and Marianta 2023, 10; Yu and Shek 2021, 6; Tsui and Cheng 2021, 7). According to the current result of a systematic review, gaming disorder also seems to be particularly related to disadvantageous decision-making under risk (Müller et al. 2023, 9). In line with these results, it can be assumed that a cognitive tendencies related to rational decision making e. g. regret anticipation (Jurásová and Špajdel 2011, 172), may also perform as protective factors. Our results did not support previous research findings, as the relationship between perceived level of spirituality and Internet Gaming Disorder was found to be nonsignificant, which may be related to the association with other behavioral disorders, such as pornography addiction (Lewczuk et al. 2020, 895), where a more pronounced departure from spiritual and self-transcendent values may be perceived; or it may be related to the tenets of specific religions (Eksi and Ciftci 2017, 5). Research results indicated that experiencing lower levels of life satisfaction among adolescents was associated with higher rates of Internet Gaming Disorder symptoms. It was also confirmed that the level of life satisfaction predicts the occurrence of Internet Gaming Disorder. Individuals who experience lower levels of life satisfaction, self-esteem, and social support have higher rates of Internet Gaming Disorder symptoms (Teng et al. 2020, 18). Life satisfaction similarly mediates the relationship between Internet Gaming Disorder and basic psychological needs, as well as the relationship between Internet Gaming Disorder and depressive rumination (Celik 2022, 186). Similarly, life satisfaction acts as a mediator in the relationship between video game playing as a coping mechanism and the severity of Internet Gaming Disorder symptoms (Mills et al. 2019, 58). 4 Conclusion The results of the study showed a 5.8% prevalence of Internet Gaming Disorder among adolescents in Slovakia. Regarding gender, boys showed higher rates of Internet Gaming Disorder symptoms compared to girls. Life satisfaction was positively correlated with experiencing spirituality. The results of the research indicated a significant positive relationship between life satisfaction and spirituality. Experiencing spirituality and Internet Gaming Disorder did not show a relationship. Levels of life satisfaction predicted the occurrence of Internet Gaming Disorder. The research findings have several limitations. The study design was cross-sectional and therefore causal validity of the identified relationships cannot be inferred. Self-report questionnaires were used in the research, which may have caused responding in terms of social desirability. Despite the limitations, this study provides interesting research findings regarding the relationships of Internet Gaming Disorder and the experience of spirituality and life satisfaction in adolescents, which have not yet been investigated in this country. Acknowlegement This study was funded by the Trnava University Grant 1/ TU/23, and the Research Grant VEGA 1/0309/24.
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