Journal article
Online flow experience: The contribution of distinct depressive profiles
Canadian journal of behavioural science, Vol.57(4), pp.298-310
10/2025
Appears in Recent Faculty of Health Publications
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Abstract
Depressive symptoms have been associated with how an individual is involved with their online activity, particularly their experience of the balance between their skills and the online challenges they may encounter. Interestingly, the occurrence of different depressive typologies has been supported, whilst the concept of online flow has been introduced to describe immersive engagement with online tasks/actions due to experiencing challenges. To assess such hypotheses, this study aims to determine the potentially distinct depressive profiles best describing a normative sample of gamers whilst also assessing how these may vary in their reported online flow levels both concurrently and longitudinally. The sample included 565 gamers ranging from 12 to 68 years old, who were longitudinally assessed in the community, 6 months apart, at two different timepoints. Their depressive and online flow behaviours were examined via the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale and the Online Flow Questionnaire, respectively. Advanced latent class analyses indicated five distinct depressive profiles: Mild Depression With Low Self-Deprecation (16.6%), More Severe Depression With High Devaluation of Life (11.9%), No Depression With Low Motivation/Self-Esteem (10.1%), High Self-Image/Life Satisfaction (54.2%), and Moderate Depression With High Self-Deprecation (7.26%). Furthermore, a significant difference in concurrent and prospective online flow scores between different depressive profiles was revealed. Results support that individuals experiencing higher online flow may differ regarding their depressive symptoms, with significant implications for assessment and intervention practice.
Details
- Title
- Online flow experience: The contribution of distinct depressive profiles
- Creators
- Trent Footitt - Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology UniversityMary Gourdouros - Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology UniversityDylan R Poulus - Southern Cross UniversityMichelle Colder Carras - Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthDaniel Zarate - Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology UniversityBruno Schivinski - Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology UniversityVasileios Stavropoulos - Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University
- Publication Details
- Canadian journal of behavioural science, Vol.57(4), pp.298-310
- Publisher
- Educational Publishing Foundation
- Identifiers
- 991013231513502368
- Copyright
- © 2024 Canadian Psychological Association
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Health
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article