Longitudinal links among paternal and maternal harsh parenting, adolescent emotional dysregulation and short-form video addiction

Abstract

BackgroundDue to its diversifying and appealing content, short-form videos have developed very rapidly since its emergence, with more and more users enjoying the transient pleasures from such videos, which have triggered widespread concern over the detrimental influence of short-form video addiction on adolescent health. ObjectiveThe present study intended to examine the longitudinal relations among paternal/maternal harsh parenting, adolescents' emotional dysregulation and their short-form video addiction using a cross-lagged longitudinal design. Participants and settingWe recruited a sample of 1064 adolescent students from two middle schools located in rural areas of eastern China. MethodsAdolescents reported on paternal and maternal harsh parenting, their own emotional dysregulation and short-form video addiction at three time points across two years. Autoregressive and cross-lagged models were analyzed using three-wave variables to test the associations among parental (maternal) harsh parenting, adolescent emotional dysregulation, and short-form video addiction. A multi-group analysis was used to test for potential gender differences in the model. ResultsWe found that harsh fathering but not harsh mothering contributed to adolescent emotional dysregulation, which in turn predicted adolescent short-form video addiction. However, the reverse longitudinal relationships did not exist. Multiple group analyses revealed that the predictive effect of harsh fathering on adolescent emotional dysregulation was stronger in boys. ConclusionsOur findings help clarify the complex relationships among harsh parenting, adolescent emotional dysregulation and short-form addiction, providing more effective guidance for prevention against adolescent short-form video addiction.