The Relationship between Internet Game Addiction and Sense of Meaning in Life of Adolescents: A Latent Profile Analysis

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the heterogeneity of adolescents’ (college students) sense of meaning in life, and explore the relationship between the potential categories of Life sense of meaning and Internet game addiction. Methods: A total of 1544 adolescents were assessed with the Sense of Meaning in Life Scale and Internet Game Addiction Scale. The subtypes were analyzed by latent profile analysis, and the related factors of the subtypes of sense of meaning in life were explored by logistic regression analysis. Results: (1) There were three subtypes of adolescents’ sense of meaning in life: the lack of life sense (7.00%), the pursuit of life sense (49.40%), and the positive life sense (43.60%). Among them, the pursuit of the sense of meaning in life is more universal. (2) There is a significant difference in the subtypes of adolescents’ sense of meaning in life of Internet game addiction, which is manifested as the lowest incidence of adolescents’ Internet addiction with positive sense of meaning in life, the middle incidence of adolescents’ Internet game addiction with the pursuit of sense of meaning in life, and the highest incidence of adolescents’ Internet game addiction without sense of meaning in life. Conclusion: Adolescents’ sense of meaning in life is characterized by heterogeneity and is closely related to online game addiction. This study further clarified the differences in online game addiction among adolescents with different subtypes of sense of the meaning in life, and provided an empirical basis for the promotion of the sense of meaning in life. At the same time, it also provides an empirical basis for the prevention and intervention of internet game addiction according to the subtype characteristics of sense of meaning in life.