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. 2018 May;44(3):257-267.
doi: 10.1002/ab.21748. Epub 2018 Jan 24.

Friendly fire: Longitudinal effects of exposure to violent video games on aggressive behavior in adolescent friendship dyads

Geert P Verheijen  1 , William J Burk  1 , Sabine E M J Stoltz  1 , Yvonne H M van den Berg  1 , Antonius H N Cillessen  1
Affiliations

Friendly fire: Longitudinal effects of exposure to violent video games on aggressive behavior in adolescent friendship dyads

Geert P Verheijen et al. Aggress Behav. 2018 May.

Abstract

Research on gaming effects has focused on adolescence, a developmental period in which peer relationships become increasingly salient. However, the impact of peers on the effects of violent gaming on adolescents has been understudied. This study examined whether adolescents' exposure to violent video games predicted their own and their friend's aggression one year later. Among 705 gaming adolescents, 141 dyads were identified based on reciprocated best friend nominations (73.8% male, Mage = 13.98). Actor-Partner Interdependence Models indicated that adolescent males' (but not females') exposure to violent games positively predicted the aggression of their best friend 1 year later. This effect appeared regardless of whether the friends played video games together or not. The study illustrates the importance of peers in the association between violent gaming and aggression.

Keywords: adolescence; aggressive behavior; peer influences; video games.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Actor‐Partner Interdependence Model predicting exposure to violent video games at Time 1 on aggression at Time 1 and Time 2 in indistinguishable friend dyads. All parameters are constrained to be equal for Adolescent X and Adolescent Y. a1, a2, a3 = actor effects; p1, p2, p3 = partner effects; c1 = Violent Gaming correlation; c2 = Aggression T1 residual correlation; c3 = Aggression T2 residual correlation. M = predictor means; V = predictor variances; i1, i2 = outcome intercepts; z1, z2 = residual variances; U1, U2 = outcome residuals. Violent Gaming T1_X = exposure to violent games of Adolescent X at T1, Aggression T1_X = aggressive behavior of Adolescent X at T1, Aggression T2_X = aggressive behavior of Adolescent X at T2. The same variables for Adolescent Y are indicated with extension _Y
Figure 2
Figure 2
Actor‐Partner Interdependence Model predicting exposure to violent video games at Time 1 on aggression at Time 1 and Time 2 for indistinguishable friend dyads. The partner effect of violent gaming at T1 on aggression at T2 was allowed to vary across gender, all other actor and partner effects were set equal by gender. Standardized estimates and correlations given for male and female dyads, respectively. All parameters are constrained to be equal for Adolescent X and Adolescent Y. Violent Gaming T1_X = exposure to violent games of Adolescent X at T1, Aggression T1_X = aggressive behavior of Adolescent X at T1, Aggression T2_X = aggressive behavior of Adolescent X at T2. The same variables for Adolescent Y are indicated with extension _Y. *p < .05, *** p < .001
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