Mapping mental health complexity in esports: an exploratory psychosocial network approach

Background

The rapid rise in popularity of esports has brought increased attention to the unique mental health challenges faced by esports players, yet research in this area remains in its infancy. Early research suggests a substantial mental health burden and has examined associations between esports-specific stressors, mental health, and sleep disturbances. However, much of this work has relied on traditional methodologies, providing limited insight into how affective, psychosocial, sleep-related, and esports-specific indicators are organised within this competitive performance environment.