How does parental psychological control influence adolescent depression? A sequential mediation and network analysis of smartphone addiction and sleep disturbance
Jan 4, 2026BMC public health
How Parental Control May Relate to Teen Depression Through Smartphone Addiction and Sleep Problems
A significant positive association exists between and adolescent depression in a sample of 4,416 adolescents.
Parental psychological control is linked to higher levels of depression in adolescents.
Adolescents experiencing parental psychological control are more likely to develop .
Poor is also predicted by parental psychological control in adolescents.
Smartphone addiction and sleep quality act as sequential mediators in the relationship between parental psychological control and depression.
Network analysis identified central symptoms, including 'Energy,' 'Love withdrawal,' and 'Sleep,' that connect parental psychological control to depression.
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BACKGROUND: The rising prevalence of depression among children and adolescents has become a critical global public health challenge requiring urgent attention. Emerging evidence suggests that (PPC) may be a significant risk factor for the development of depression in adolescents. Nevertheless, the intricate mechanisms linking parental psychological control to adolescent depression remain largely unresolved. This study aims to explore the association between parental psychological control and depression using a large sample of adolescents, and to determine whether parental psychological control relates to adolescent depression through a sequential pathway involving and compromised . Furthermore, network analysis is employed to identify the core and bridging symptoms within the network of parental psychological control, smartphone addiction, sleep disturbances, and depression in adolescents, providing a basis for targeted interventions.
METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire study was administered to 4,416 adolescents (63.56% females; mean age of 16.24 Β± 0.92 years) between September and November 2024. Participants completed a battery of standardized measures, including self-reported demographic questionnaires, the Parental Psychological Control Scale, the Short Version Smartphone Addiction Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-Item Scale. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 26.0 and R statistical software packages.
RESULTS: Our study revealed a significant positive association between parental psychological control and adolescent depression. Parental psychological control significantly predicted both smartphone addiction and poor sleep quality in adolescents. Importantly, smartphone addiction and sleep quality served as a serial mediator in the relationship between parental psychological control and adolescent depression. Network analysis further revealed that three central symptoms-"Energy" (PHQ4), "Love withdrawal" (LW), and "Sleep" (PHQ3)-and two key bridge symptoms-"Smartphone addiction" (SASall) and "Daytime dysfunction" (DD)-emerged as critical connectors linking parental psychological control to depression in adolescents.
CONCLUSION: These findings elucidate the mechanisms through which parental psychological control contributes to adolescent depression, yielding significant theoretical and practical implications for adolescent mental health preventive interventions. Specifically, interventions targeting maladaptive smartphone use and poor sleep hygiene, particularly those addressing intermediary symptoms such as daytime dysfunction, may effectively mitigate the risk of depression in adolescents under high parental psychological control.
Key numbers
15.8%
Adolescents with Depression
Prevalence of major depressive episodes among U.S. adolescents aged 12β17 in 2019.
4,416
Participants
Total number of adolescents surveyed in the study.
0.256
Total Indirect Effects
Standardized mediating effect of and on the relationship between and depression.
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