Attachment style, stressful events, and Internet gaming addiction in Korean university students

•Male college students reported significantly higher levels of internet gaming addiction than female students.•Stressful events mediates the association between attachment anxiety and internet gaming addiction.•Stressful events mediates the association between attachment avoidance and internet gaming addiction. The framework of addiction as an attachment disorder has been used widely in recent years to explain various technological addictions. However, research that explores the association between attachment and Internet gamining disorder is still limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential mediating effects of stressful events on the relationship between attachment styles and Internet gaming addiction. Three hundred and thirty-seven Korean university students in provincial South Korea participated in the study. The hypothesized model was tested using structural equation modeling. Results indicated that the relationships between attachment styles (both attachment anxiety and avoidance) and Internet gaming addiction were fully mediated by stressful events. These results contribute to understanding the etiology of gaming addiction and may guide development and delivery of treatment for problematic gaming behaviors.