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Chinese college teachers’ work-family conflict and their preschool children’s problem behaviors: the mediating effects of parental phubbing and children’s problematic media use
Early Child Development and Care
Background
Parental technoference, the interruption of parent-child interactions by technology, has been associated with negative outcomes in children’s media use. However, the magnitude of this relationship and its moderating factors remain unclear.
Objective
This study aims to systematically examine the relationship between parental technoference and child problematic media use, as well as to identify moderating factors such as age, parental technoference group, study design, and type of problematic media use.
Methods
Following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, a comprehensive literature search was conducted up to August 2024 across multiple databases, including Web of Science, EBSCO, ProQuest, PubMed, PsycINFO, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure, using predefined search strings. A total of 53 studies with a total of 60,555 participants (mean age of 13.84, SD 1.18 years) were included. Inclusion criteria comprised studies involving children under the age of 22 years, assessing the association between parental technoference and child problematic media use with valid measures, and reporting necessary statistical data. Exclusion criteria included studies focusing on other child outcomes, having sample sizes <30, or being case reports or review papers. The risk of bias was assessed using the Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed using R (version 4.2.1; R Foundation for Statistical Computing) with the meta and metafor packages to evaluate the association and conduct moderator analyses.
Results
The meta-analysis identified a significant positive association between parental technoference and child problematic media use (r=0.296, 95% CI 0.259-0.331). Moderator analyses revealed that both parental technoference group (P<.001) and study design (P=.008) significantly influenced this relationship. Specifically, the association was stronger when both parents engaged in technoference compared to when only 1 parent did, and in cross-sectional studies compared to longitudinal studies. Age, gender, publication status, and type of problematic media use did not significantly moderate the relationship (all P>.05).
Conclusions
This meta-analysis provides robust evidence of the association between parental technoference and child problematic media use. The findings highlight the need for family-based interventions and underscore the importance of longitudinal research to understand the temporal dynamics of this relationship better.
Trial Registration
PROSPERO CRD42023471997; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=471997
Purpose
The association between work stress and well-being has been well documented. However, the underlying mechanism for such association is not clear, especially in terms of how work stress relates to both personal and relational well-being. Based on the Conservation of Resources Theory and the Stress Process Model, the present study examined the potential indirect roles of the sense of control and the work-related rumination in the associations between work stress and both personal and relational well-being.
Methods
Data were collected from 536 married Chinese university teachers (Mage = 39.40 + 7.64, 38.6% males) through an online survey. Analyses were conducted using structural equation modeling via Mplus.
Results
Work stress was indirectly associated with life satisfaction through (a) sense of control, (b) work-related rumination, and (c) a sequential pathway from sense of control to work-related rumination. Work stress was indirectly associated with relationship satisfaction through sense of control.
Conclusion
Findings suggest that sense of control would be an important linking mechanism underlying the association between work stress and college teachers’ well-being. Personal well-being may be more vulnerable to work-related rumination than relational well-being. Insights for prevention and intervention efforts in enriching college teachers’ well-being are discussed.
This study examined the direct and indirect pathways from parents’ work-family conflict to children’s behavioral problems. Specifically, it investigated the effects of parents’ work-family conflict on parental warmth, as well as the mediating roles of parental warmth and children’s executive function difficulties in linking parents’ work-family conflict and children’s behavioral problems. Data were collected from 558 triads of dual-earner parents and their first-grade children in Korean elementary schools participating in the Panel Study on Korean Children administered by the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education. An actor-partner interdependence model and mediation analysis using structural equation modeling revealed that the actor and partner effects of parents’ work-family conflict on maternal warmth were all statistically significant, whereas the actor effect of parents’ work-family conflict on paternal warmth alone was significant. Furthermore, the actor effect of work-family conflict on parental warmth was greater in fathers than in mothers, whereas the partner effect of work-family conflict on parental warmth was greater in mothers than in fathers. Second, mothers’ work-family conflict was directly and positively related to their children’s behavioral problems, but not fathers’ work-family conflict. Third, the five mediating processes were verified from parents’ work-family conflict, through parental warmth and children’s executive function difficulties, to their behavioral problems. Particularly, maternal warmth played a major role in most of these mediating processes. Finally, this study highlights the importance of co-parenting and children’s executive function for improving the effectiveness of parent education and intervention programs for dual-income parents whose school-aged children exhibit behavioral problems.
Preschool children are immersed in screen media, yet little study has been conducted on screen addiction among them. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between parental screen addiction and young children’s screen addiction and to verify factors that mediate this relationship. A total of 477 parents of kindergarteners (3–6 years old) were recruited via six kindergartens in Henan province, China. They completed the Problematic Media Use Measure Short Form of Children, the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, the Child–Parent Relationship Scale, and the Parental Screen Addiction Scale. The results showed that the relationships between each pair of parental screen addiction, parental anxiety, and children’s screen addiction were significantly positive, but the parent–child relationship was negatively correlated with the other variables. Parental screen addiction can directly and indirectly affect children’s screen addiction through parental anxiety and the parent–child relationship. The findings contribute to the development of family protection mechanisms against screen addiction in children.
Based on the job demands-resources model and conservation of resource theory, this study investigated 456 Chinese college teachers’ work stress, stress mindset, resilience, emotional exhaustion, positive affect, and negative affect. The results of mediation analysis showed that resilience played a partial mediation role between work stress and emotional outcomes (emotional exhaustion, positive affect, and negative affect). Moreover, the results of a moderated mediation analysis showed that stress mindset moderated the relationship between work stress and resilience, and moderated the mediating effect of resilience between work stress and emotional outcomes (emotional exhaustion, positive affect, and negative affect). Specifically, work stress had a significant negative predictive effect on resilience when stress mindset is low (β = −0.54, p < 0.001); work stress could also negatively predict resilience when the stress mindset is high (β = −0.47, p < 0.001), but its effect decreased, and stress mindset negatively moderated the path between work stress and resilience. Finally, we discussed theoretical implications, practical implications, limitations, and future directions.
This study examined (a) whether growing up with lower-educated parents and attending lower parental education schools associated with children's problem development within the behavioral, emotional, and peer relationship domains; and (b) whether the association of lower individual-level parental education with children's development within these three domains depended upon school-level parental education. To this end, 698 children (Mage = 7.08 in first grade) from 31 mainstream elementary schools were annually followed from first grade to sixth grade. Problems within the behavioral domain included conduct problems, oppositional defiant problems, attention-deficit and hyperactivity problems, and aggression. Problems within the emotional domain included depression and anxiety symptoms. Problems within the peer relationship domain included physical victimization, relational victimization, and peer dislike. Results from multi-level latent growth models showed that, as compared to children of higher-educated parents, children of lower-educated parents generally had higher levels of problems within all three domains in first grade and exhibited a faster growth rate of problems within the behavioral domain from first to sixth grade. Furthermore, as compared to children attending higher parental education schools, children attending lower parental education schools generally had higher levels of problems within the behavioral and emotional domains in first grade and showed a faster growth rate of peer dislike over time. In addition, cross-level interaction analyses showed that in higher parental education schools, children of lower-educated parents showed a faster growth rate of depression symptom levels than children of higher-educated parents. In lower parental education schools, the growth rate of depression symptom levels did not differ between children of higher- and lower-educated parents. Results highlight that addressing the needs of lower parental education schools and children growing up with lower-educated parents may be of primary importance.
University teachers have adapted to different situations during the development of distance learning due to the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus. This study was conducted by assigning a data collection instrument to 993 teachers who are part of 15 technological universities (TUs) and 7 polytechnic universities (PUs) to determine how they were affected by COVID-19. The questions asked were related to the social, economic, academic, emotional, and health effects experienced. The results show that 63% of the teachers working online complained that online teaching invaded their family privacy; 56% pointed out that working from home and the virtual classes affected their performance as teachers; 90% of the teachers thought that they dedicated too much extra to preparing for their classes; 15% were stressed; 4% felt negative under the new teaching scheme of virtual classes; finally, 38% of the teachers stated that repeated interaction with electronic devices had a lot of negative impacts on their emotional wellbeing. By means of a G-test, it was determined that gender was independent from the studied effects. Through a multiple correspondence analysis (MCA), it was determined that, of the total number of teachers who responded to the questionnaire, half were comfortable with the online teaching model and the other half were not. The most impacted effects were the economic, training and connectivity independently from the gender.
Background:
Screen media exposure has been increasing in the preschool years. Risky aspects of screen exposure have many potential negative effects on children's health. We aimed to evaluate problematic screen exposure in Turkish preschool children by using a unique tool called the "Seven-in-Seven Screen Exposure Questionnaire" and to investigate factors associated with problematic screen exposure.
Methods:
A questionnaire form was designed including general descriptive questions in the first part. In the second part, a questionnaire we designed called the "Seven-in-Seven Screen Exposure Questionnaire" was conducted to evaluate problematic screen exposure characteristics. The questionnaire included seven items: daily screen time, viewing with parent(s), setting screen limits, screen exposure during meals and in the hour before bedtime, age of onset of screen exposure, and viewing low-quality content. The total problematic screen exposure score (range 0-13) was generated by summing scores from the seven items. Total scores are classified into two categories: low (< 7) and high (≥ 7). Logistic regression was performed to search for independent parameters associated with problematic screen exposure.
Results:
One thousand two hundred forty-five mother-child pairs participated in this study. The median age of the children was 3.9 (IQR: 2.9-4.7) years and 51% were males. Overall, 280 children (22.5%) had a problematic screen exposure score of ≥7 (high). The median problematic screen exposure score was 4 (IQR: 3-6). Maternal age of < 30 years; paternal age of ≥30 years; maternal educational level of ≤12 years; the age of 24-48 months; home-based daycare; postponing eating, toileting, or sleeping while using a screen; and using touchscreen devices were found to be associated with an increased risk of having a high problematic screen exposure score.
Conclusion:
Developing national scales to monitor problematic screen use in children would be more effective than monitoring screen time alone. All of the screen use characteristics not recommended in children would be evaluated using problematic screen exposure scales. The "Seven-in-Seven Screen Exposure Questionnaire" may serve as an example for further studies.
Based on spillover and crossover models in the family system, we hypothesized the mediating effect of parenting style in the association between maternal work–family conflict (WFC) and children’s problematic internet (PIU). This is a cross-sectional study using data from the 10th wave Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC) in 2017. The study subjects were 707 mothers and their children. The WFC was measured using the Marshall and Barnett scale, parenting style by the Parenting Styles and Dimension Questionnaire developed by Robinson, and the PIU of a child by the K-Scale for adolescent observers. As a result, maternal WFC had a positive association with the PIU of a child. Maternal WFC also had a link with parenting styles. Specifically, WFC had a negative association with an authoritative parenting style, and a positive association with authoritarian and permissive parenting styles. Regarding the relationship between maternal WFC and the PIU of a child, parenting styles showed a mediating effect for authoritative (z = 2.08, p = 0.037), authoritarian (z = 2.71, p = 0.007), and permissive (z = 3.14, p = 0.002). Based on the results, we assert that when planning an intervention to reduce children’s PIU for working mothers, a multifaceted approach is essential, including both WFC and parenting behavior.
The balancing act between work and family life can be a challenge that affects both the parents and other members of a family. This study investigates the effect of a parent’s experience of work-family conflict on the behavior of the child. Parental well-being and parenting act as mediators, as previous studies have suggested that this relationship does not run directly. Data from 969 children in the Pairfam database were analyzed using structural equation modelling. The results reveal that both directions of work-family conflict (WIF and FIW) have a negative impact on parental well-being, and only the specific negative spillover from family to work (FIW) influencing parenting performance. In addition, although good levels of well-being and adequate parenting have a positive influence on the behavior of children, the specific spillover effects from work responsibilities to the family (WIF) are apparently unrelated to parenting.
Utilizing the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model as the theoretical framework, this study examines the relationship between job stress, job burnout, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment among 1,906 university teachers in China, and investigates teachers’ differences across groups. The result of SEM indicates that job burnout and job satisfaction could play mediating roles between job stress and organizational commitment. The result of multi-group analysis shows that for national university teachers, the positive effect of job stress on job burnout is the highest among three types of university teachers, the negative effect of job burnout on organizational commitment is lower compared with provincial university teachers and the negative effect of job burnout on job satisfaction is lower compared with provincial university teachers. Only for provincial university teachers, the job stress can significantly positively predict organizational commitment, and the independent mediating effect of job burnout is significantly greater than job satisfaction. The practical advice to enhance Chinese university teachers’ organizational commitment was provided in the end.
Parenting young children could be stressful at times and parenting stress could have an impact on parenting styles and child behavior problems which could lead to difficulties in later life. Therefore, the relationship among these three factors is worthy of examination. In this study we aim to examine the direct relationship between parenting stress, parenting styles, and perceived child behavior problems; and to investigate a model that illustrates the mediating role of negative (authoritarian and permissive) parenting styles on the relationship between parenting stress and perceived child behavior problems in China. A total of 371 parents with preschool age children (3 to 7 years old) were recruited. The results showed higher level of parenting stress was associated with higher level of reported child behavior problems. Parenting stress was positively related to negative parenting styles, and negative parenting styles partially mediated the relationship between parenting stress and child behavior problems. Findings from this study suggested that reducing parenting stress, improving parenting behaviors such as parenting styles, and enhancing parent-child relationship through early support (e.g., parenting skills training) are of vital importance and mutual benefits to the parents, children, and family relationships at large.
Introduction
Phubbing is a social exclusion behavior related to mobile phone use. It undermines interpersonal relationships and mental health. This study aimed to test the connections between parental phubbing and depression in late childhood and adolescence, as well as the mediating roles of parental warmth, parental rejection, and relatedness need satisfaction.
Methods
We conducted two studies. Study 1 was a cross‐sectional study of 530 Chinese students (268 boys and 262 girls, Mage = 13.15 ± 0.64 years) who completed self‐report questionnaires. We conducted structural modeling to test the relationship between parental phubbing and depression. Study 2 used a short longitudinal design to validate the results of Study 1 and test the mediating roles of parental warmth, parental rejection, and relatedness need satisfaction. In Study 2, we recruited 293 Chinese students (151 boys, 141 girls, and one participant with no reported gender information, M age = 12.87 ± 0.74 years) to complete the questionnaires and applied structural equation modeling to analyze the data.
Results
Two sequential mediation effects were found. The first was parental phubbing → parental warmth → relatedness need satisfaction → depression (protection‐reduced effect). The second was parental phubbing → parental rejection → relatedness need satisfaction → depression (risk‐increased effect). Gender differences were non‐significant.
Conclusions
The study revealed that parental phubbing was associated with students’ depression in late childhood and adolescence through two paths. The present study highlights the need to establish family norms regulating mobile phone use to reduce phubbing.
Objectives
Work-family conflict (WFC) has severe negative effects on workers’ health and well-being. This study examined whether parents’ WFC also affects the well-being of their children. It was analyzed whether, and to what extent, maternal WFC is associated with child emotional and behavioral problems, and whether this association is mediated by mothers’ use of harsh parenting practices.
Methods
Using data from two waves of the German Family Panel (pairfam) a total of 1781 children and their employed mothers were analyzed using mediation modeling with pooled OLS regressions.
Results
The analyses show that children whose mothers experience higher levels of WFC report higher levels of emotional problems, conduct problems, and hyperactivity. The results also indicate that this association is mediated by mothers’ parenting behavior.
Conclusions
The findings suggest that mothers’ parenting behavior underpins the association between maternal WFC and child behavioral problems: Mothers who experience higher levels of WFC use harsher parenting practices, which negatively affects their children’s well-being.
An increasing number of mobile phone users check their phones at any time and place, even during in-person interactions. Such behaviors that interrupt social interactions have been described as phubbing. The present study focused on phubbing behaviors within the context of parent-child households and aimed to examine the associations among parents' phubbing, the parent-child relationship, children's self-esteem, and problematic mobile phone use (PMPU) by adolescents. The structural equation model results based on the data collected from 1,721 secondary students revealed that parents' phubbing was not only directly associated with children's PMPU but also indirectly associated with PMPU through the mediating roles of the parent-child relationship and children's self-esteem after gender and age were controlled. These findings suggest a possible underlying mechanism for the relationship between parents' phubbing and children's PMPU, and could thus inform interventions to prevent or decrease PMPU among adolescents. Limitations and implications are discussed.
Parents can influence their children’s problematic mobile phone involvement (PMPI) by engaging in parental mediation activities, such as restrictions or co-use, by being a role model, and by their general and domain-unspecific parenting style that facilitates more or less attachment security of the child. This study tested the associations between these different routes of influence—parental mediation of the mobile phone, parental PMPI, and secure child-parent attachment—with children’s PMPI. Data was acquired from a quota-sample survey with 500 children, between 8 and 14 years of age, and one of their parents. Results point to the importance of open and empathic parent-child-communication, as well as a positive relationship quality, and demonstrate the detrimental effects of parents’ own PMPI on children’s PMPI.
Aggressive behaviors are highly prevalent in children. Given their negative consequences, it is necessary to look for protective factors that prevent or reduce their progress in early development before they become highly unshakable. With a sample of 147 children, the present study aimed to assess the relation between parental education and inhibitory control in the aggressive behavior of children aged from 7 to 10 years. The participants completed a go/no-go task to assess inhibitory control, whilst their parents reported their education level, and their teachers rated the aggressive behavior of the children through the Teacher Rating Scale (TRS) of the Behavior Assessment System for Children 2 (BASC-2). The results showed that both parental education and inhibitory control determined aggressive behavior in children. In addition, inhibitory control partially mediated the associations between parental education and aggressive behavior after accounting for age. However, a moderated mediation model revealed that lower parental education was associated with higher levels of aggressive behavior, which, in girls occurred independently of inhibitory control. In contrast, inhibitory control mediated this relation in boys. These results suggest the importance of parental education and inhibitory control in the aggressive behavior of children, supporting the idea that both constructs are relevant for understanding these conduct problems in schools, particularly in boys. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed, along with possible future lines of investigation.
Heavy parent digital technology use has been associated with suboptimal parent-child interactions, but no studies examine associations with child behavior. This study investigates whether parental problematic technology use is associated with technology-based interruptions in parent-child interactions, termed "technoference," and whether technoference is associated with child behavior problems. Parent reports from 170 U.S. families (child Mage = 3.04 years) and actor-partner interdependence modeling showed that maternal and paternal problematic digital technology use predicted greater technoference in mother-child and father-child interactions; then, maternal technoference predicted both mothers' and fathers' reports of child externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Results suggest that technological interruptions are associated with child problem behaviors, but directionality and transactional processes should be examined in future longitudinal studies.
Preoccupation with our cellphones has irrevocably changed how we interact with others. Despite many advantages of smartphones, they may undermine both our in-person relationships and our well-being. As the first to investigate the impact of phubbing (phone-snubbing), the present research contributes to our nascent understanding of the role of smartphones in consumer behavior and well-being. We demonstrate the harmful effects of phubbing, revealing that phubbed individuals experience a sense of social exclusion, which leads to a heightened need for attention and results in individuals attaching to social media in hopes of regaining a sense of inclusion. Although the stated purpose of technology like smartphones is to help us connect with others, in this particular instance, it does not. Ironically, the very technology that was designed to bring humans closer together has isolated us from these very same people.
This research aims to study the existing relationships among the factors of state anxiety, depression, impulsivity, and alcohol consumption regarding problematic mobile phone use, as assessed by the Mobile Phone Problem Use Scale. The study was conducted among 1,126 participants recruited among the general Spanish population, aged 16–65 years, by assessing the predictive value of these variables regarding this problematic use. Initially tobacco use was also considered being subsequently refused because of the low internal consistency of the scale used. In general terms, the results show that this problematic use is mainly related to state anxiety and impulsivity, through the dimensions of Positive and Negative Urgency. Considering its predictive value, multiple regression analysis reveals that state anxiety, positive and negative urgency, and alcohol consumption may predict problematic mobile phone use, ruling out the influence of depression.
Technology devices and their characteristics have become more pervasive and enticing. The use of these new devices is common, and interruptions due to these devices are likely. This study examines the frequency of technology interference in (a) coparenting relationships—the relationship between parents as they parent their children together—during early infancy/childhood and in (b) various parenting domains (bedtime, mealtime, etc.), as well as (c) associations between technology interference and perceptions of coparenting quality as reported by 203 married/cohabiting mothers. Many mothers perceived that technology interrupted coparenting interactions on occasion, especially during unstructured parenting such as playtime. Mothers rating more interference reported worse coparenting, relationship satisfaction, and depressive symptoms. Technology interference predicted coparenting even after controlling for relationship satisfaction and depressive symptoms. Technology interference likely decreases coordination between parents, leaving some mothers feeling frustrated. Parents may be advised to critically examine and potentially regulate technology use during family interactions.
Partner phubbing (Pphubbing) can be best understood as the extent to which an individual uses or is distracted by his/her cell phone while in the company of his/her relationship partner. The present study is the first to investigate the oft-occurring behavior of Pphubbing and its impact on relationship satisfaction and personal well-being. In Study 1, a nine-item scale was developed to measure Pphubbing. The scale was found to be highly reliable and valid. Study 2 assessed the study's proposed relationships among a sample of 145 adults. Results suggest that Pphubbing's impact on relationship satisfaction is mediated by conflict over cell phone use. One's attachment style was found to moderate the Pphubbing - cell phone conflict relationship. Those with anxious attachment styles reported higher levels of cell phone conflict than those with less anxious attachment styles. Importantly, Pphubbing was found to indirectly impact depression through relationship satisfaction and ultimately life satisfaction. Given the ever-increasing use of cell phones to communicate between romantic partners, the present research offers insight into the process by which such use may impact relationship satisfaction and personal well-being. Directions for future research are discussed.
This study examined the stability of internalizing and externalizing problems from age 1.5 to 6 years, while taking into account developmental changes in the presentation of problems. The study comprised a population-based cohort of 7,206 children (50.4 % boys). At ages 1.5, 3, and 6 years, mothers reported on problem behavior using the Child Behavior Checklist/1.5-5 (CBCL/1.5-5). At each age we performed latent profile analysis on the CBCL/1.5-5 scales. Latent transition analysis (LTA) was applied to study the stability of problem behavior. Profiles of problem behavior varied across ages. At each age, 82–87 % of the children did not have problems whereas approximately 2 % showed a profile of co-occurring internalizing and externalizing problems. This profile was more severe (with higher scores) at 6 years than at earlier ages. A predominantly internalizing profile only emerged at 6 years, while a profile with externalizing problems and emotional reactivity was present at each age. LTA showed that, based on profiles at 1.5 and 3 years, it was difficult to predict the type of profile at 6 years. Children with a profile of co-occurring internalizing and externalizing problems early in life were most likely to show problem behavior at 6 years. This study shows that the presentation of problem behavior changes across the preschool period and that heterotypic continuity of problems is very common among preschoolers. Children with co-occurring internalizing and externalizing problems were most likely to show persisting problems. The use of evidence-based treatment for these young children may prevent psychiatric problems across the life course.
Electronic supplementary material
The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10802-015-9993-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
The purpose of this study is to explore the roles of psychological attributes (such as shyness and loneliness) and smartphone usage patterns in predicting smartphone addiction symptoms and social capital. Data were gathered from a sample of 414 university students using online survey in Mainland China. Results from exploratory factor analysis identified five smartphone addiction symptoms: disregard of harmful consequences, preoccupation, inability to control craving, productivity loss, and feeling anxious and lost, which formed the Smartphone Addiction Scale. Results show that the higher one scored in loneliness and shyness, the higher the likelihood one would be addicted to smartphone. Furthermore, this study shows the most powerful predictor inversely affecting both bonding and bridging social capital was loneliness. Moreover, this study presents clear evidence that the use of smartphones for different purposes (especially for information seeking, sociability, and utility) and the exhibition of different addiction symptoms (such as preoccupation and feeling anxious and lost) significantly impacted social capital building. The significant links between smartphone addiction and smartphone usage, loneliness, and shyness have clear implications for treatment and intervention for parents, educators, and policy makers. Suggestions for future research are discussed.
Background
Depression is a major public health problem that affects both individuals and society. Previous studies report that university teachers are particularly susceptible to high levels of occupational stress and depressive symptoms. The aims of this study were to explore the association between occupational stress and depressive symptoms in a group of university teachers, and assess the mediating role of psychological capital between these variables.MethodsA cross-sectional study was performed between November 2013 and January 2014. Teachers from six universities were randomly sampled in Shenyang. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, effort-reward imbalance scale, and psychological capital questionnaire (PCQ-24), as well as questions about demographic and working factors, were administered in questionnaires distributed to 1,500 university teachers. Completed questionnaires were received from 1,210 participants. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to examine the mediating role of psychological capital.ResultsIn the present study, 58.9% (95% CI (Confidence Intervals): 56.1% to 61.7%) of university teachers had a CES-D score equal to or above the cut-off of 16. Both effort¿reward ratio (ERR) and scores of over-commitment were positively associated with depressive symptoms, whereas psychological capital was negatively associated with depressive symptoms among university teachers. Psychological capital partially mediated the relationship between occupational stress and depressive symptoms.Conclusions
Among Chinese university teachers, occupational stress may be a risk factor for depressive symptoms, whereas psychological capital might be protective against depressive symptoms. Our results suggest that college administrators could support the development of psychological capital in their staff to alleviate depressive symptoms.
Using the actor–partner interdependence model, we explore how various sources of stress and support experienced by fathers and mothers influence their own parenting styles and the parenting styles of the partner. Data from 227 couples were analyzed, with mothers and fathers rating their parenting stress and marital relationship and children rating the parenting styles of both mothers and fathers. Structural equation models revealed actor effects of parenting stress on demanding and responsive parenting styles, as well as partner effects between positive aspects of marital relationship and responsive parenting style. The results further indicate that the strength of these pathways is similar for both mothers and fathers and do not support the hypothesis that the parenting of fathers is more vulnerable than the parenting of mothers.
Research Findings: The Problematic Media Use Measure (PMUM) assesses young children’s excessive or problematic media use. The current study aims to translate the original English version of PMUM into a Chinese version and validate it with Chinese preschoolers (ages 3 to 6). The instrument was translated, back-translated, pretested, and reviewed by a panel. The Chinese version of PMUM was administered to mothers of preschoolers (N = 1896). The results indicated that the construct validity of the PMUM was supported by the best-fit two-factor model: psychosocial problems and tolerance & withdrawal. Concurrent validity was established by demonstrating that (1) the PMUM subscales scores were positively related to children’s screen time and (2) the PMUM subscales scores were negatively related to parental mediation. The
predictive validity of the PMUM subscales was also established: (1) the PMUM
subscales scores were negatively correlated with prosocial behaviors, and (2) the PMUM subscales scores were positively correlated with emotional symptoms,
hyperactivity/inattention, conduct problems, and peer relationship problems.
Internal reliability and test-retest reliability were both satisfactory. Practice or Policy: The findings support the further development and application of the PMUM to monitor children’s media use and also emphasize the need for additional research on problematic media use.
Importance:
Currently, there is a lack of consensus in the literature on the association between screen time (eg, television, video games) and children's behavior problems.
Objective:
To assess the association between the duration of screen time and externalizing and internalizing behavior problems among children 12 years or younger.
Data sources:
For this systematic review and meta-analysis, MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO databases were searched for articles published from January 1960 to May 2021. Reference lists were manually searched for additional studies.
Study selection:
Included studies measured screen time (ie, duration) and externalizing or internalizing behavior problems in children 12 years or younger, were observational or experimental (with baseline data), were available in English, and had data that could be transformed into an effect size. Studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic were excluded. Of 25 196 nonduplicate articles identified and screened for inclusion, 595 met the selection criteria.
Data extraction and synthesis:
The study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) reporting guideline. Extracted variables were child age, sex, and socioeconomic status; informants and measurement type for screen time and behavior problems; study publication year; and study design and quality. Data were extracted by 2 independent coders and were pooled using a random-effects model.
Main outcomes and measures:
The primary outcome was the association of screen time duration with externalizing (eg, aggression, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms) and internalizing (eg, depression, anxiety) behaviors or diagnoses.
Results:
Of the 595 full-text articles assessed for eligibility, 87 studies met all inclusion criteria, comprising 98 independent samples and 159 425 participants (mean [SD] age, 6.07 [2.89] years; 83 246 [51.30%] male). Increased duration of screen time had a small but significant correlation with more externalizing problems (90 samples; r, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.10-0.12) and internalizing problems (43 samples; r, 0.07; 95% CI, 0.05-0.08) in children. Several methodological moderators explained between-study heterogeneity. There was evidence of significant between study heterogeneity (I2 = 87.80).
Conclusions and relevance:
This systematic review and meta-analysis found small but significant correlations between screen time and children's behavior problems. Methodological differences across studies likely contributed to the mixed findings in the literature.
The phenomenon of problematic mobile phone use (PMPU) has been incredibly increasing, especially in Asian countries. Prior studies have argued that negative emotion is linked to PMPU. Based on the cognitive‐behavioural model of pathological Internet use and the buffering model of social support, our purpose is to identify the nuanced mediators of the rumination subtypes (i.e., reflection and brooding) and examine the moderator of social support in the relation between negative emotion and PMPU. A sample of 1,014 college students was recruited to complete the scales of PMPU, depression, anxiety, rumination (i.e., reflection and brooding), and social support. Results showed that (a) reflection did not mediate a link between negative emotion and PMPU whereas brooding partially mediated the link, and (b) both the direct association between negative emotion and PMPU and the mediated effect of brooding were moderated by social support, and they were stronger when social support was low rather than high. The study distinguishes the mediated effect of rumination subtypes and incorporates social factor in the relationship between negative emotion and PMPU, which deepens our understanding of how and when negative emotion relates to PMPU.
Building upon previous research establishing a positive association between parental phubbing and adolescent mobile phone addiction in the perspective of parent-child relationship, the present study, according to the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model of specific Internet-use disorders, tested a serial mediating model that explained how parental phubbing might accelerate adolescent mobile phone addiction through social anxiety and core self-evaluations (CSE). A sample of 471 junior high school students (282 girls and 189 boys; mean age 13.46 ± 1.11 years) completed measures of parental phubbing, social anxiety, CSE, and mobile phone addiction. The SEM analysis in AMOS 21.0 and the PROCESS macro in SPSS 22.0 were executed to test the mediation. The results indicated that social anxiety and CSE played multiple mediating roles in the association between parental phubbing and adolescent mobile phone addiction, with parental phubbing influencing adolescent mobile phone addiction through three mediation pathways (total mediation effect = 0.14, 95% CI = [0.09, 0.21]), which accounted for 48.28% of the total effect. The present study represented a step toward a better understanding of the psychological mechanisms underlying the link between parental phubbing and adolescent mobile phone addiction in a cognitive-behavioral perspective.
Using 509 mother/father–child dyads drawn from Wave 8 of The German Family Panel (pairfam), this study examines the direct effects of mothers’ and fathers’ work–family conflict (WFC) on children’s internalizing (emotional) and externalizing (conduct) problem behaviors. We also test whether these effects are moderated by several child characteristics and family characteristics. Results suggest that both mothers’ and fathers’ WFC are associated with greater emotional problems, whereas only mothers’ WFC is associated with greater conduct problems. The detrimental effect of fathers’ (mothers’) WFC on emotional problems is stronger for older children and girls (households with a preschool-aged child and boys). While there is no direct effect of fathers’ WFC on conduct problems, results show that the detrimental effect of mothers’ WFC on conduct problems is stronger for boys, as well as in households with more children and those with a preschool-aged child.
Background
Touch screen devices are now ubiquitous, and their usage by young children is increasing. However, the effects of these devices on young children are still unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to address the associations of touch screen device exposure with symptomatic emotional and behavioral problems and language development in children between the ages of 18 and 36 months.
Method
A total of 161 primary caregivers of children between the ages of 18 and 36 months were recruited from the pediatric ward and outpatient clinic at a medical center in southern Taiwan. All caregivers were asked to fill out the Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1½–5 (CBCL 1½–5) and a questionnaire on basic personal information and touch screen device usage, and they were also interviewed with the Communication and Language Screening Test for Birth to Three Chinese-Speaking Infant-Toddlers (CLST). Independent t-test and one-way ANOVA were used to examine the differences among the categories in the demographic variables and to characterize the touch screen device usage behaviors. Pearson’s correlation was used to analyze the relationship between language delay and the extent of touch screen device exposure. After primary univariate analysis, we used multiple regression models to examine the relationships among the effects of touch screen device usage behaviors on children's emotional and behavioral problems and language development.
Result
The children’s mean age was 25.63 months (SD = 5.35). Children who spent more time on touch screen devices were more likely to have emotional problems (β = .219, p < .010, 95 % CI: .279–1.518), anxious/depressive symptoms (β = .206, p < .050, 95 % CI: .170–1.244), somatic complaints (β = .291, p < .001, 95% CI: .455–1.462), social withdrawal symptoms (β = .194, p < .050, 95 % CI: 0.133–1.150), attention problems (β = .300, p < .001, 95 % CI: .432–1.267), and aggressive behaviors (β = .247, p < .010, 95 % CI: .967–3.983). The effects were not noted on language development (β = −.136, p < .100, 95 % CI: −2.595–.147).
Conclusion
Young children who spent more time on touch screen devices were more likely to have emotional problems, anxious/depressive symptoms, somatic complaints, social withdrawal symptoms, attention problems, and aggressive behaviors, but not language delay.
Objective. This paper examines whether the effects of spousal coparenting on authoritative parenting are mediated through parenting stress. Design. A total of 166 married, heterosexual couples in Hong Kong with a preschool child provided information about their spouse’s level of cooperation and triangulation in their coparenting relationship at Time 1; their own parenting stress at Times 1 & 2; and their authoritative parenting at Times 1, 2, and 3. Results. Cooperation at Time 1 affected fathers’ authoritative parenting at Time 3 completely mediated through fathers’ parenting stress at Time 2. There were no mediated or direct effects on authoritative parenting for mothers, although triangulation at Time 1 predicted mothers’ parenting stress at Time 2. Conclusion. Parenting stress mediates the relation between coparenting and authoritative parenting for fathers, suggesting the need to encourage cooperation from mothers. In this way fathers’ stress related to their role as parent will decrease, helping to promote their authoritative parenting.
Children's mobile device (e.g., smartphone, tablet) access and ownership has grown substantially in the past decade. Concerns exist regarding excessive use and the impact of frequent consumption of mobile media on children's health and well‐being. We review the literature on the harmful physical health correlates of excessive mobile device use during childhood and adolescence. Strongest evidence emerged regarding the impact of excessive mobile device use and sleep outcomes. Mixed evidence emerged regarding excessive use of mobile devices and physical activity and obesity. Too few studies were identified to draw conclusions about mobile device use and the following health concerns in children: musculoskeletal outcomes/pain, ocular health, and migraine/headaches. Recommendations for future research on the association between excessive mobile device use and children's physical health outcomes (particularly investigations into the experience of musculoskeletal pain/discomfort, ocular symptoms, and neurological symptoms) are discussed.
Child executive functions and socialization environments are crucial for the socioemotional and cogni-tive development of preschoolers. This study examined the role of socioeconomic status (SES), ethnicity, executive functions (EFs), quality of the home environment, quantity of maternal care, and quality and quantity of professional childcare as predictors of five-year-old preschoolers' problem behavior, proso-cial behavior, and language ability in 77 low-SES families with a Chilean majority or Mapuche minority background in Chile. Executive functions and the quality of the home environment were positively associated with language ability, whereas quantity of childcare was inversely related to children's language ability. All other associations were non-significant. The results corroborate the vital roles of child executive functioning and stimulating and responsive parenting in child language ability in a Latin-American context. Furthermore, our findings revealed inadequate preschool classroom quality and provide new evidence from southern Chile of the urgent need to improve the quality of Chilean children's preprimary education as a catalyst for reducing social disparities.
We investigated potential crossover from mothers' and fathers' work-family conflict to their own and their partner's perception of inter-parental conflict and parenting irritability, and subsequent influences on children's and adolescents' mental health. Using a representative sample of Australian children (N = 3061), an autoregressive model tested four mediation paths for mother-reported child internalizing and externalizing problems (4–5 to 14–15 years), and a second model tested two mediation paths for adolescent-reported problems (8–9 to 14–15 years). Findings indicated that mothers' and fathers' parenting irritability (6–7 years) mediated the association between mothers' work-family conflict (4–5 years) and mother-reported child externalizing problems (8–9 years); and mothers' parenting irritability (12–13 years) mediated the association between fathers' work-family conflict (10–11 years) and mother- and adolescent-reported externalizing problems (14–15 years). Findings demonstrate the potential for work-family conflict to cross over to parenting, thus influencing long-term child mental health.
Objectives:
To examine the relationship between excessive screen time and psychosocial well-being in preschool children, and the potential mediating role of body mass index, sleep duration, and parent-child interaction.
Study design:
A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Shanghai, China using stratified random sampling design. A representative sample of 20 324 children aged 3-4 years old from 191 kindergartens participated in this study. Parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and reported the child's time spent on screen exposure, sleep duration, height, weight, and parent-child interactive activities.
Results:
Preschool children in Shanghai were exposed to 2.8 (95% CI 2.7, 2.9) hours/day of screen time, with 78.6% (95% CI 77.8,79.3) exceeding 1 hour/day and 53% (95% CI 52.0,53.9) exceeding 2 hours/day. Every additional hour of screen time was associated with increased risk for poor psychosocial well-being. Body mass index, sleep duration, and parent-child interaction mediated the effect of excessive screen time on children's psychosocial well-being, among which parent-child interaction contributed most. Parent-child interaction could explain 28.1% of the effect on total difficulties and 58.6% on prosocial behavior.
Conclusions:
Excessive screen time during early childhood exists in Shanghai preschool children. Excessive screen exposure was associated with poor psychosocial well-being in preschool children via a number of mediators, mostly by reducing parent-child interaction.
Technoference has been defined as interruptions to social interactions because of technology. Previous research has examined technoference in parent-child relationships, but little research has been conducted examining the influence of technoference on parent-adolescent relationships. Previous researchers have shown that parental technoference in parent-child relationships is related to increased negative behaviors by children. The current study examined the effect of adolescents’ perceptions of their own and their parents technoference on adolescent positive and negative behaviors, including anxiety, depression, cyberbullying, prosocial behavior, and civic engagement, as mediated through adolescent perceptions of parental warmth. Teens perceptions of their parents technoference was related to increased anxiety, depression, cyberbullying, and prosocial behaviors, as mediated through parental warmth. Interestingly, adolescent technoference was not related to perceived parental warmth, but was related to increased cyberbullying, anxiety, depression, and decreased prosocial behavior and civic engagement. Implications of technoference in a parent-adolescent context are discussed.
Rationale:
Work-family conflict and enrichment refer to parents' challenges and benefits of combining work and family roles. Emerging evidence suggests detrimental effects of work-family conflict and facilitating effects of work-family enrichment on couple, family, and child functioning. This effect may be more pronounced in mothers, who must juggle different roles within the family and work context. To date, research has examined these relations as unidirectional, but reciprocal associations may be possible.
Objective:
This study investigated the shape and direction of associations between maternal work-family conflict and enrichment, child internalizing and externalizing problems, and inter-parental conflict.
Method:
Growth curve modelling used six waves of biennial data spanning ten years of childhood (4-5 to 14-15 years) for 2946 children and their employed mothers from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children.
Results:
Results indicated bidirectional associations between the work-family interface and child outcomes; mothers' initial work-family conflict was associated with a quadratic increase in child internalizing (but not externalizing) problems over time. Child internalizing problems at 4-5 years predicted a linear decrease in mothers' work-family enrichment over time. However, work-family enrichment at 4-5 years was not associated with the change in either child internalizing or externalizing problems. Work-family conflict and inter-parental conflict at 4-5 years were not associated with change in one another. Initial work-family enrichment was associated with a quadratic decrease in inter-parental conflict, and initial inter-parental conflict was associated with a linear increase in externalizing problems; no evident reverse association was found.
Conclusion:
Findings demonstrate the importance of the work-family interface in shaping family health outcomes. The primary direction of influence was from work-family factors to inter-parental conflict and child mental health problems. Thus, interventions aimed at promoting family-friendly work environments and policies would likely yield benefits for parents and their families.
The demands arising from the combination of work and family roles can generate conflicts (work-family conflicts), which have become recognized as major social determinants of mothers' and fathers' mental health. This raises the question of the potential effects on children. The current study of 2496 Australian families (7652 observations from children aged 4-5 up to 12-13 years) asks whether changes in children's mental health corresponds with changes in mothers' and fathers' work-family conflicts. Using longitudinal random-effect structural equation models, adjusting for prior child mental health, changes in work-family conflict were examined across four adjacent pairs of biennial data waves. Children's mental health deteriorated when their mother or father experienced an increase in work-family conflict, but improved when parents' work-family conflict reduced. Results held for mothers, fathers and couples, and the key pathways appear to be changes in children's relational environments. These results contribute new evidence that conflicts between the work-family interface are powerful social determinants of mental health which have an intergenerational reach.
Mediation of X’s effect on Y through a mediator M is moderated if the indirect effect of X depends on a fourth variable. Hayes [(2015). An index and test of linear moderated mediation. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 50, 1–22. doi:10.1080/00273171.2014.962683] introduced an approach to testing a moderated mediation hypothesis based on an index of moderated mediation. Here, I extend this approach to models with more than one moderator. I describe how to test if X’s indirect effect on Y is moderated by one variable when a second moderator is held constant (partial moderated mediation), conditioned on (conditional moderated mediation), or dependent on a second moderator (moderated moderated mediation). Examples are provided, as is a discussion of the visualization of indirect effects and an illustration of implementation in the PROCESS macro for SPSS and SAS.
In this study, we verified the effects of smartphone addiction proneness of young children (ages one to six) on problematic behaviors and emotional intelligence. We investigated whether parental self-assessment of smartphone usage affects the way in which children's smartphone addiction impacts their behaviors and emotional intelligence. Smartphone addiction proneness sub-factors interfere with daily life and compulsory control through voluntary isolation and personality distortion. Differences exist in daily-life interference according to parental ages, voluntary isolation according to parental occupations, and personality distortion according to parental academic backgrounds. Among attributes of young children's smartphone usage, differences exist in compulsory control needs and personality distortion starting from a young age, and compulsory control needs according to the child's daily smartphone usage. Moreover, no correlations exist between independent variables of daily-life interference and the emotional intelligence outcome variable. All addictive tendencies have significant positive effects on problematic behaviors, and significant negative effects on emotional intelligence. The greater the degree to which parents are self-evaluative of their smartphone usage, the lower is the influence of children's smartphone addiction proneness on their problematic behaviors. This study suggests that parents' self-reflective attitude towards smartphone usage can undermine the negative effects of smartphone overuse by young children.
This paper presents two experimental studies investigating the impact of mobile messaging during an offline conversation on relational outcomes. A first study examined the impact on impression formation. A 3 × 1 experiment revealed that phone users were perceived as significantly less polite and attentive, and that self-initiated messaging behavior led to more negative impression formation than messaging behavior in response to a notification. A second study examined the impact on perceived conversation quality and social attraction. A 2 × 2 experiment revealed that perceived conversation quality was negatively affected by co-present mobile messaging behavior, while social attraction was not. Whether persons were acquainted or not with the phone user did not moderate this relationship.
In this study, we investigated the relationship between work-family conflict and job burnout as well as the potential mediation/moderation effects of psychological capital. Participants were 357 university teachers who completed a questionnaire packet containing a work-family conflict scale, psychological capital questionnaire, and Maslach Burnout Inventory-General survey. According to the results, work-family conflict and psychological capital were both significantly correlated with job burnout. In addition, psychological capital cannot mediate-but can moderate-the relationship between work-family conflict and job burnout. Taken together, our findings shed light on the psychological capital underlying the association of work-family conflict and job burnout.
This chapter provides a critical synthesis of the literature on the relationship between parent work family experiences and child outcomes. The chapter begins by introducing a theory-driven conceptual model that organizes previous studies. Then it discusses research on the direct link between parent work family experiences and child outcomes, followed by a review of mediators and moderators of the process. It next notes limitations of the extant literature and concludes with promising directions for future research.
In modern Western life it is difficult to avoid work–family conflict. Therefore the resources that might reduce its negative outcomes on well-being and job attitudes come into focus. Our study contributes to the work–family conflict literature by exploring the indirect (moderator) and direct role of three work- and organization-related resources, i.e., job control, family supportive climate, organization-based self-esteem (OBSE), in the work-to-family conflict and well-being/job attitude relationship. Theoretically, the study tested the recently developed Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model in the Scandinavian context. Data for the study were gathered from three differing Finnish organizations (health care district, ICT company, Cardboard mill; n=1252). In line with the predictions of the JD-R model, job demands (time- and strain-based work-to-family conflict) were more robustly associated with strain-based outcomes (physical symptoms), whereas job resources (job control, family supportive climate, OBSE) were more strongly linked to motivational-based outcomes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment). Both job control and family supportive climate moderated the relationships studied; high job control and family supportive climate buffered against the aversive effects of work-to-family conflict on well-being and job attitudes. These indirect effects also varied in relation to the independent, moderator, and dependent variables. However, OBSE did not operate as a buffering factor, although it showed significant direct effects. From a practical viewpoint, our findings suggest that job control and family supportive climate are resources that help employees to reduce the negative effects related to work–family conflict.
Contemporary fathering is characterized by the combined responsibilities of employment and parenting. Relationships between work–family conflict, work–family enrichment, and fathering behaviors have not been widely investigated. Secondary data from fathers of 4- to 5-year-old children participating in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children were analyzed (N = 2,679). Results revealed that higher work–family conflict was associated with irritable (β = .06, p < .001), less warm (β = −0.04, p < .01), inconsistent parenting (β = −.07, p < .001), when sociodemographic and child characteristics were controlled for. Protective associations were found between work–family enrichment and optimal parenting behaviors (β = .10 warmth; β = −.05 irritability, p < .01). These results were largely unchanged when mental health was included in analyses. Sole-earner fathers and those employed for long hours were most likely to report high work–family conflict. Findings provide impetus for workplace and public policy to extend optimal, family-friendly employment conditions to all parents, including fathers.