The relationship between parental psychological control and problematic smartphone use in early Chinese adolescence: A repeated-measures study at two time-points. (February 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wang, Dawei; Nie, Xinxiao; Zhang, Dexiu; Hu, Yixin
• Is Part Of: Addictive behaviors. Volume 125(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-02
• Subjects: Parental psychological control -- Problematic smartphone use -- Early adolescence -- Psychological security -- Insomnia; Substance abuse -- Periodicals; Alcoholism -- Periodicals; Drug addiction -- Periodicals; Nicotine addiction -- Periodicals; Smoking -- Periodicals; Gambling -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 362.29
• DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.107142
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0306-4603

Abstract

Highlights: A two-time points longitudinal design was conducted among 2128 adolescents. Cross-lagged associations between parental psychological control and PSU were supported. Parental psychological control was negatively associated with PSU. Psychological security and insomnia parallelly mediated the above link. Psychological security and insomnia played serial mediating roles. Abstract: The current study examined the bidirectional relationship between parental psychological control and problematic smartphone use (PSU) in early Chinese adolescence using a two time-points repeated-measures study and explored the role of psychological security and insomnia in the relationship between parental psychological control and subsequent PSU in early adolescence. The sample consisted of 2128 fourth- and fifth-grade students (55.69% male, age = 9 to 13, M age ± SD = 10.91 ± 0.80) who participated in two measurements and completed questionnaires about parental psychological control, PSU, psychological security and insomnia. The results indicated that: (1) Autoregressive cross-lagged models showed a reciprocal relationship between parental psychological control and PSU severity in early adolescence. (2) Both psychological security and insomnia mediate the link between parental psychological control and subsequent PSU severity. (3) Psychological security and insomnia play serial mediating roles between parental psychological control and subsequent PSU severity. These findings indicate that reducing parental psychological control, boosting psychological security and alleviating insomnia symptoms in adolescents are all conducive to decrease PSU severity in early adolescence.