Parental mobile media use for coping with stress: A focus groups study

Abstract

Mobile devices are deeply integrated into the everyday lives of families and provide direct access to many resources in stressful situations. By proposing that mobile devices might be fitting tools for parental coping, this study connects work on mostly beneficial parental Internet use with work on detrimental effects of device use on the parent–child-interaction. The results of five focus groups conducted in a clinical and a non-clinical context show that parents use their mobile devices to seek information, actively cope, distract themselves, and seek social support when confronted with stress. Immediacy, quality, self-assurance, and successful self-regulation emerged as factors that determine stress coping effectiveness. Parents indicated strong norms against device use while parenting which could influence successful coping with stress but also protect against negative effects on parent–child-interaction.