Perceived parental depression and adolescents’ excessive smartphone use: The mediating role of adolescents’ depression and anxiety

Abstract

ABSTRACT Previous studies show that parents play a critical role in developing adolescents’ excessive media use. However, few studies have been conducted on the effect of parental depression on adolescents’ excessive smartphone use. Thus, this study aimed to investigate whether perceived parental depression can predict adolescents’ excessive smartphone use and whether adolescents’ psychological problems, such as depression and anxiety, account for the association between perceived parental depression and adolescents’ excessive smartphone use from a sample of 1,156 adolescents. The hypothesized model was tested using hierarchical regression and the PROCESS macro (Model 4). Hierarchical regression analysis showed that perceived parental depression positively predicts adolescents’ excessive smartphone use. Additionally, mediation analyses revealed that the effects of perceived parental depression on adolescents’ excessive smartphone use were mediated by adolescents’ depression and anxiety. The results provide evidence of the direct effect of perceived parental depression on adolescents’ excessive smartphone use and the indirect effects of adolescents’ depression and anxiety on this relationship. These results have meaningful implications from the theoretical and applied perspectives. The directions for future research are also discussed.