Parental Autonomy Granting, Peer Attachment and Problematic Internet Use Among Chinese Adolescents: The Moderating Effect of School Climate

Mar 27, 2024Child psychiatry and human development

How Parental Freedom and Friend Relationships Relate to Problematic Internet Use in Chinese Teens, and How School Atmosphere May Change This

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Abstract

A total of 852 adolescents from Guangdong Province, China, were studied to explore the link between parental autonomy granting and problematic Internet use.

Parental autonomy granting is correlated with adolescents' problematic Internet use (PIU).
Peer attachment significantly mediates the relationship between parental autonomy granting and PIU.
A positive school climate moderates the effects of parental autonomy granting on peer attachment.
The impact of peer attachment on PIU is stronger in environments with a perceived positive school climate.
Findings highlight the potential role of peer attachment in understanding the connection between parental autonomy and PIU.

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While the correlation between parental autonomy granting and adolescents' problematic Internet use (PIU) has been confirmed, the processes underlying this connection have not been thoroughly investigated. Drawing on the ecological systems theory, this study sought to investigate the mediating mechanism of peer attachment and the moderating mechanism of school climate that link parental autonomy granting to PIU. A two-wave longitudinal design was employed with a time interval of six months. The participants were 852 adolescents who attended three middle schools located in Guangdong Province, China. Self-report questionnaires were used to obtain data on demographics, parental autonomy granting, peer attachment, school climate, and PIU. The findings indicated that peer attachment significantly mediated the link between parental autonomy granting and adolescent PIU. A positive school climate significantly moderated the influence of parental autonomy granting on peer attachment and the influence of peer attachment on PIU. Specifically, the association between parental autonomy granting and peer attachment and the association between peer attachment and PIU were more pronounced when the school climate was perceived to be positive. This research underscores the possible significance of peer attachment in the association between parental autonomy granting and PIU and offers valuable insights for mitigating the negative outcomes of PIU.

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Parental Autonomy Granting, Peer Attachment and Problematic Internet Use Among Chinese Adolescents: The Moderating Effect of School Climate

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