Mindsets in Argentine Gamers: Relation with their Mental Health,Personality, Experiences and Performance
Keywords:
Implicit Theories, Players, Video Games, Psychological Well-being, Psychological SymptomsAbstract
This study explores the relationship between two types of mindsets —a global mindset regarding intelligence and personality and a specific mindset regarding gaming ability— in a sample of adult Argentine gamers. Two samples were included: the first comprised 201 participants (Mage = 40.9 years, SD = 15.5; 55.2 % female) to assess the global mindset, and the second comprised 189 participants (Mage = 30.1 years, SD = 9.46; 66.1 % male) and assessed the specific mindset. Associations between these mindsets and variables such as mental health, personality traits, gaming experiences, and self-perceived performance were analyzed. Results show that both mindsets are positively associated with psychological well-being and negatively associated with symptomatology. Additionally, it has been found that gamers with a specific growth mindset related to gaming ability tend to perceive a better gaming performance. However, associations with personality traits and gaming experiences were not significant. A path analysis indicated that a the growth mindset regarding gaming ability has a direct positive effect on mental health, which, in turn, impacts on positive gaming experiences and self-perceived performance. These findings suggest that fostering a growth mindset in gamers could have positive implications for their mental health and self-perceived performance.
