Background and Objective: With the expansion of digital technologies and students’ easy access to the internet, online games have become an inseparable part of adolescents’ leisure time. Although these games can have entertainment and educational aspects, addiction to them may negatively affect students’ psychological well-being and academic functioning. Investigating this relationship can help identify factors influencing academic vitality and mental health in adolescents. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between internet gaming addiction, academic vitality, and mental health in students.
Methods: In this descriptive-correlational study, the statistical population included all sixth-grade students in Sari during the 2022-2023 academic year, totaling 3,230 individuals. Among them, 346 students were selected using a convenience sampling method. Data were collected using standardized questionnaires: the Internet Gaming Addiction Questionnaire (Nazari et al., 2015), the Academic Vitality Scale (Hossein-Chari et al., 2012), and the General Health Questionnaire (Goldberg & Hillier, 1979).
Results: The findings indicated a significant relationship between internet gaming addiction and both academic vitality and students’ mental health.
Conclusion: Overall, the results suggest that students with higher levels of internet gaming addiction are more psychologically vulnerable and exhibit lower motivation and vitality for learning and participation in academic activities. These findings highlight the importance of parental, teacher, and policymaker attention to managing students’ online gaming time and providing healthy alternatives for their leisure activities.