The literature surrounding the benefits of tabletop roleplaying games (RPGs) has grown in recent years, and thus far suggests that they result in heightened psychological wellbeing. However, this literature remains unclear as to the causes of this benefit. Creativity, which plays a significant part in RPG-playing, has similarly been associated with improved psychological wellbeing. The present study was exploratory in nature, and sought to establish whether the relationship between creative personality and psychological wellbeing was mediated by frequency, intensity and duration of RPG-playing. It also aimed to establish whether the Creative Personality Scale (CPS; Gough, 1979) contained a dimension of trait intelligence, which has been increasingly associated with creativity in recent research. The present study was undertaken through the recruitment of 113 participants who completed an online questionnaire containing the CPS, the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS; Diener et al., 1985), and qualitative questions related to the RPG-playing experiences of the participants. When divided into subscales, CPS dimensions of Originality and Awareness positively predicted psychological wellbeing. Contrary to predictions, however, RPG-playing frequency was a negative mediator in a model containing the Originality subscale. Additionally, in a model containing the Awareness subscale, RPG-playing frequency independently predicted lower psychological wellbeing. A dimension of trait intelligence was derived from the CPS, albeit with inadequate reliability. This study provides caution for future interventions using RPGs as a framework. Other recommendations for future research are discussed, among which are the importance of purposive samples, and the need for more valid and reliable measures of creative personality.
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