Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Mental Health
Date Submitted: Dec 1, 2020
Date Accepted: Apr 14, 2021
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Problematic Internet use, subjective mental wellbeing, and perceived parental supportiveness among adolescents: Moderation analysis
ABSTRACT
Background:
Given the growing number of adolescents exhibiting problematic Internet use (PIU) and its harmful consequences, it is important to examine the factors associated with PIU. Existing research shows that adolescents’ subjective mental well-being as well as their perceptions of the quality of their relationship with parents are strong predictors of PIU. However, it is unknown how these factors work together in shaping adolescents’ engagement in PIU.
Objective:
The goals of this paper are to examine the role played by a previously unexplored facet of the parent-child relationship – perceived parental supportiveness, in conjunction with adolescents’ subjective mental wellbeing in shaping their PIU.
Methods:
A total of 4,592 adolescents ranging from 12 to 17 years old reported their Internet-use behavior, subjective mental well-being, and perceived parental supportiveness through a nationally representative online research panel survey. Hierarchical linear regression analysis with an interaction term was performed.
Results:
Controlling for adolescents’ demographics, time spent on social media, and frequency of social media posts, findings revealed that higher levels of perceived parental supportiveness (β = -.274, P < .001) and higher levels of subjective mental well-being (β = -.079, P < .001) were associated with low adolescent PIU. The moderation analysis showed that the negative association between perceived parental supportiveness and PIU was stronger when adolescents reported high (vs. low) levels of mental well-being (β = -.194, P < .001).
Conclusions:
This study shows that perceived parental supportiveness was a stronger protective factor than adolescents’ mental well-being against adolescent PIU. The protective power of perceived parental supportiveness against PIU was strongest when adolescents had high mental well-being. The highest risk of PIU occurred when adolescents’ mental well-being was high but parents were perceived as unsupportive. Our findings suggest that parental supportiveness should be targeted as part of PIU prevention efforts.
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