Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41469729›Full record

ArticleBMC psychology2025

Lost in the game? Investigating the links between digital game addiction, self-regulation, social and life skills in preschoolers.

Nezahat Hamiden Karaca, Ümit Ünsal Kaya, Ahmet Murat Uzun

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC psychology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Nezahat Hamiden KaracaDepartment of Early Childhood Education, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Türkiye.
Ümit Ünsal KayaSchool of Foreign Languages, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Türkiye.
Ahmet Murat UzunDepartment of Instructional Technologies, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Türkiye. auzun@aku.edu.tr.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study examines the relationships between digital game addiction tendencies, self-regulation, social skills, and life skills in preschool children. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory and Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, the research investigates the complex relationships between the variables. Data were collected from parents and teachers of preschool-aged children in Türkiye, utilizing validated measurement tools. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) revealed three main patterns. First, digital game addiction tendency was negatively but non-significantly related to self-regulation, showing only a marginal trend (p ≈ .05). Second, social skills were strongly and positively associated with life skills. Third, an unexpected negative association emerged between self-regulation and social skills. Digital game addiction tendency showed no significant direct association with either life skills or social skills. These findings suggest, without implying causation, that social competence in early childhood is more closely linked to adaptive life skills, whereas the role of self-regulation may vary across developmental contexts. The study calls for longitudinal research to clarify these complex, context-dependent relationships and for balanced digital exposure that supports both self-regulation and social interaction.

Indexed as

Behavior, AddictiveChild BehaviorInternet Addiction DisorderSelf-ControlSocial SkillsVideo GamesChild, PreschoolDigital MediaFemaleHumansMaleDigital game addictionEarly childhood developmentLife skillsSelf-regulationSocial skills

Identifiers

PMID41469729
PMCPMC12961790

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.