Over-gaming burns me out: The indirect role of academic procrastination between digital game addiction severity and school burnout among adolescents

Digital game addiction has become a prevalent issue among adolescents. This study aimed to elucidate both the relationship between digital game addiction severity and academic procrastination, as well as school burnout, and to examine the indirect role of academic procrastination in the connection between digital game addiction severity and school burnout. The current study was conducted using a cross-sectional design. Data were collected from 313 adolescents aged 11 to 14 years ( M age = 12.66, SD = 0.67). The findings indicated that the direct effect of digital game addiction on academic procrastination ( β = 0.77, p < .01) and school burnout ( β = 0.53, p < .01) was significant. Moreover, findings supported the indirect role of academic procrastination in the relationship between digital game addiction severity and school burnout. These insights contribute to a better understanding of how digital game addiction can lead to school burnout, highlighting the significance of academic procrastination in this process. The study underscores the importance of developing prevention and intervention programmes targeting adolescents’ digital game addiction and academic procrastination.