Parental psychological control and adolescent smartphone addiction: roles of reactance and resilience

Feb 19, 2025BMC psychology

How Parents' Psychological Control Relates to Teen Smartphone Addiction: The Roles of Resistance and Coping Strength

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Abstract

A total of 1,300 Chinese adolescents were surveyed, revealing that may reduce the impact of on problematic smartphone use.

Parental psychological control is positively correlated with problematic smartphone use and .
Psychological resilience is negatively correlated with problematic smartphone use.
Psychological resilience may act as a moderating factor, diminishing the relationship between parental psychological control and problematic smartphone use.
These findings suggest that higher psychological resilience could help protect adolescents from the negative effects of parental influence on smartphone usage.

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BACKGROUND: Problematic smartphone use is a prevalent issue addressed in this study. The research delves into factors associated with problematic smartphone use, employing the self-determination theory. Specifically, the study analyzes the relationship between and problematic smartphone use and investigates as a mediating factor. Moreover, is considered a moderating factor in the relationship between parental psychological control and problematic smartphone use, based on the diathesis-stress model and cognitive model of resilience.

METHODS: A total of 1300 (M = 14.22, SD = 1.29) Chinese adolescents were surveyed in a cross-sectional study. They completed self-report questionnaires including the Parental Psychological Control Questionnaire, the Smartphone Addiction Scale, the Psychological Resistance Scale, and the Adolescent Resilience Scale. A moderated mediation model was examined to test predictions.

RESULTS: Correlation analysis reveals a positive correlation between parental psychological control, psychological reactance, and problematic smartphone use, and a negative correlation with psychological resilience. Moderation mediation analysis demonstrates that psychological resilience diminishes the direct association between parental psychological control, psychological reactance, and problematic smartphone use, thereby mitigating their relationship.

CONCLUSIONS: The findings support the moderation mediation model, indicating that psychological resilience plays a crucial role in safeguarding adolescents from the adverse effects of problematic smartphone use induced by parental psychological control.

Key numbers

1300

Participants

Total number of Chinese adolescents surveyed in the study

14.22 years

Age Mean

Mean age of participants in the study

47.7%

Percentage of Females

Proportion of female participants in the study

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Parental psychological control and adolescent smartphone addiction: roles of reactance and resilience

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