This study aimed to examine the relationships between digital game addiction and sports activity with adolescents’ loneliness, focussing on the mediating role of psychological resilience. The study employed a cross-sectional design with a sample of 1,123 students from Istanbul, Türkiye. Data were collected using the Digital Game Addiction Scale, the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM-12), the UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-8), and a single-item measure of sports activity. Structural equation modelling indicated that digital game addiction was negatively associated with psychological resilience, whereas sports activity was positively associated with resilience. Psychological resilience was also negatively associated with loneliness. The direct effects of digital game addiction and sports activity on loneliness were not significant; however, their total effects became significant through the full mediating role of resilience. The findings suggest that reducing digital game addiction and promoting sports activities may decrease loneliness among adolescents by enhancing psychological resilience.
AcarG.SerinK. (2025). Sports and psychological resilience: The key role of sports for children. Yalova Üniversitesi Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, 4(1), 18–35. https://doi.org/10.70007/yalovaspor.1604465
2.
AkdağB.ÜnsalC.Arıcı GürbüzA. (2024). Psychological resilience as a mediator in the relationship between meaning in life and psychological distress in adolescents. European Journal of Therapeutics, 30(6), 777–785. https://doi.org/10.58600/eurjther2516
ArslanG. (2015). Psychometric properties of child and youth resilience measure (CYRM-12): The study of reliability and validity. Ege Eğitim Dergisi, 16(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.12984/eed.23397
5.
AslanO.Topuzİ.EldeleklioğluJ. (2025). Investigating the mediating role of digital game addiction in the relationship between adolescents’ school belonging and resilience. Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 42(1), 37–49. https://doi.org/10.1080/20590776.2024.2402398
6.
BiddleS. J. H.CiaccioniS.ThomasG.VergeerI. (2019). Physical activity and mental health in children and adolescents: An updated review of reviews and an analysis of causality. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 42, 146–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.08.011
7.
BudisavljevicA.Kelemenic-DrazinR.SilovskiT.PlestinaS.PlaveticN. D. (2023). Correlation between psychological resilience and burnout syndrome in oncologists amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Supportive Care in Cancer, 31(4), 207. https://doi.org/10.1007/S00520-023-07660-3
8.
CohenL.ManionL.MorrisonK. (2000). Eğitimde araştırma yöntemleri (5th ed.). Routledge Falmer.
9.
DoğanM.GürbüzB. (2025). The impact of outdoor physical activity on psychological resilience in older adults: The role of perceived health in active ageing. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 44(2), e70051. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajag.70051
10.
DoğanT.ÇötokN. A.TekinE. G. (2011). Reliability and validity of the Turkish Version of the UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-8) among university students. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 15, 2058–2062. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.04.053
11.
DunstonE. R.MessinaE. S.CoelhoA. J.ChriestS. N.WaldripM. P.VahkA.TaylorK. (2022). Physical activity is associated with grit and resilience in college students: Is intensity the key to success?Journal of American College Health, 70(1), 216–222. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2020.1740229
12.
DursunA.ÇapanB. E. (2018). Ergenlerde Dijital Oyun Bağımlılığı ve Psikolojik İhtiyaçlar. İnönü Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 19(2), 128–140. https://doi.org/10.17679/inuefd.336272
13.
EatherN.WadeL.PankowiakA.EimeR. (2023). The impact of sports participation on mental health and social outcomes in adults: A systematic review and the ‘Mental Health through Sport’ conceptual model. Systematic Reviews, 12(1), 102. https://doi.org/10.1186/S13643-023-02264-8
14.
EimeR. M.YoungJ. A.HarveyJ. T.CharityM. J.PayneW. R. (2013). A systematic review of the psychological and social benefits of participation in sport for adults: Informing development of a conceptual model of health through sport. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 10(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-10-135
15.
EjderZ. B.SanlierN. (2023). The relationship between loneliness, psychological resilience, quality of life and taste change in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Supportive Care in Cancer, 31(12), 683. https://doi.org/10.1007/S00520-023-08156-W
16.
EkinciN. E. (2018). Effect of recreational activities on the self-esteem level of high school students. Spor Eğitim Dergisi, 2(Special Issue 1), 9–13.
17.
GrigorianK.ÖstbergV.RaninenJ.Brolin LåftmanS. (2024). Loneliness, belonging and psychosomatic complaints across late adolescence and young adulthood: A Swedish cohort study. BMC Public Health, 24(1), 642. https://doi.org/10.1186/S12889-024-18059-Y
18.
HaugenT.SäfvenbomR.OmmundsenY. (2013). Sport participation and loneliness in adolescents: The mediating role of perceived social competence. Current Psychology, 32(2), 203–216. https://doi.org/10.1007/S12144-013-9174-5
HeinrichL. M.GulloneE. (2006). The clinical significance of loneliness: A literature review. Clinical Psychology Review, 26(6), 695–718. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2006.04.002
21.
HuL. T.BentlerP. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118
22.
JakobsenI. S.MadsenL. M. R.MauM.HjemdalO.FriborgO. (2020). The relationship between resilience and loneliness elucidated by a Danish version of the resilience scale for adults. BMC Psychology, 8(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/S40359-020-00493-3
23.
JinY.KieslichK.HallA.PitmanA. (2025). Association between loneliness and suicidal thoughts and attempts in adolescence and young adulthood: A longitudinal analysis of a nationally representative US sample. Archives of Suicide Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2025.2489159
24.
KayaoğluK.BaşcıllarM. (2022). Determining the relationship between loneliness and depression in adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional survey. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 35(4), 315–321. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcap.12384
25.
KayışL.AyasT. (2024). Ortaokul Öğrencilerinde Dijital Oyun Bağımlılığı ile Akademik Erteleme Arasındaki İlişkinin İncelenmesi. Online Journal of Technology Addiction and Cyberbullying, 11(1), 30–68.
26.
KaymakB.HergünerG. (2021). The relationship between digital game addictions of high school students and their levels of loneliness. The Online Journal of Recreation and Sports, 10(4), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.22282/ojrs.2021.88
27.
KlineR. B. (2016). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (4th ed.). The Guilford Press.
28.
LabragueL. J.RosalesR. A.ArtecheD. L.SantosM. C.CalimbasN. D. L.YboaB. C.SabioJ. B.QuinaC. R.QuinoL. Q.ApacibleM. A. (2025). Psychological resilience as a mediator between nurse faculty support and student nurses’ clinical adjustment: Implications for nursing education. Journal of Professional Nursing, 57, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2024.12.007
29.
LemmensJ. S.ValkenburgP. M.PeterJ. (2009). Development and validation of a game addiction scale for adolescents. Media Psychology, 12(1), 77–95. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213260802669458
30.
LiebenbergL.UngarM.LeBlancJ. C. (2013). The CYRM-12: A brief measure of resilience. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 104(2), e131–e135. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf03405676
31.
LiuQ.OuyangL.FanL.LiaoA.LiZ.ChenX.YuanL.HeY. (2024). Association between childhood trauma and Internet gaming disorder: A moderated mediation analysis with depression as a mediator and psychological resilience as a moderator. BMC Psychiatry, 24(1), 412. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-05863-4
32.
LuoM.LinS.LiZ.WuL.ChenL.YangQ.FanY. (2024). The mediating role of loneliness between psychological resilience and health-related quality of life among patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A cross-sectional study using structural equation modeling. BMC Psychiatry, 24(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-06036-z
33.
MastenA. S. (2014). Ordinary magic: Resilience in development. The Guilford Press.
34.
Ministry of National Education (2024). Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education. Retrieved August 10, 2025, from https://istanbul.meb.gov.tr
35.
MusichS.WangS. S.SchaefferJ. A.KraemerS.WickerE.YehC. S. (2022). The association of physical activity with loneliness, social isolation, and selected psychological protective factors among older adults. Geriatric Nursing, 47, 87–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gerinurse.2022.07.006
36.
OwczarekM.NolanE.ShevlinM.ButterS.KaratziasT.McBrideO.MurphyJ.VallieresF.BentallR.MartinezA.HylandP. (2022). How is loneliness related to anxiety and depression: A population-based network analysis in the early lockdown period. International Journal of Psychology, 57(5), 585. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijop.12851
37.
ÖzsavranM.AyyıldızT. K. (2024). The relationship between digital game addiction and psychological resilience in university students. Addicta: The Turkish Journal on Addictions, 11(1), 60–68. https://doi.org/10.5152/addicta.2024.23006
38.
ÖztürkŞ. B.AkbayırS. B. (2023). The mediator role of psychological resilience in the relationship of cognitive flexibility and fear of COVID-19. Journal of Family Counseling and Education, 8(1), 41–56. https://doi.org/10.32568/jfce.1270737
39.
ParlakM. E.ÖzE.EnerD.KurtF.KüçükkelepçeO.KapıcıY. (2023). The relationship between digital game addiction and loneliness and social dissatisfaction in adolescents. Cureus, 15(2), e34604. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.34604
40.
PehlivanS.OvayoluO.OvayoluN.SevincA.CamciC. (2012). Relationship between hopelessness, loneliness, and perceived social support from family in Turkish patients with cancer. Supportive Care in Cancer, 20(4), 733–739. https://doi.org/10.1007/S00520-011-1137-5
41.
PeplauL. A.PerlmanD. (1982). Loneliness: A sourcebook of current theory, research and therapy. Wiley-Interscience.
42.
QiuW.HuangC.XiaoH.NieY.MaW.ZhouF.LiuC. (2025). The correlation between physical activity and psychological resilience in young students: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, Article 1557347. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1557347
43.
RangulV.SundE. R.IngulJ. M.RimehaugT.PapeK.KvaløyK. (2024). Exploring the link between physical activity, sports participation, and loneliness in adolescents before and into the COVID-19 pandemic: The HUNT study, Norway. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(11), 1417. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21111417
44.
RussellD.PeplauL. A.FergusonM. L. (1978). Developing a measure of loneliness. Journal of Personality Assessment, 42(3), 290–294. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4203_11
45.
SawyerS. M.AzzopardiP. S.WickremarathneD.PattonG. C. (2018). The age of adolescence. The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, 2(3), 223–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(18)30022-1
46.
TomovaL.AndrewsJ. L.BlakemoreS. J. (2021). The importance of belonging and the avoidance of social risk taking in adolescence. Developmental Review, 61, Article 100981. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2021.100981
47.
Yalçın IrmakA.ErdoğanS. (2015). Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Digital Game Addiction Scale. Anadolu Psikiyatri Dergisi, 16(1), 10–18.
48.
ZhangW.LiJ. (2025). Sports atmosphere and psychological resilience in college students: Mediating role of growth mindset. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, Article 1532498. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1532498
49.
ZouM.LiuB.JiJ.RenL.WangX.LiF. (2024). The relationship between negative coping styles, psychological resilience, and positive coping styles in military personnel: A cross-lagged analysis. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 17, 13–21. https://doi.org/10.2147/prbm.S447096
