Employed Mothers’ Work-Family Conflict and Early School-Age Children’s Smartphone Dependency: Depression and Parenting Behaviors as Sequential Mediators

Objectives: The study aimed to investigate the trajectory of mobile phone dependency and determine the longitudinal pathways between the trajectory of mobile phone dependency, social capital, and depression in early adolescents. Methods: This study used data from the 2nd to 5th wave of the 2,378 4th graders panel of the Korea Children and Youth Panel Survey 2010 (KCYPS 2010). Data were analyzed using Pearson's correlations, Latent Growth Modeling (LGM), and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using SPSS 20.0 and AMOS 20.0. Results: First, from the fifth to eighth grade, the trajectory of mobile phone dependency of early adolescents increased over time, but the trend has gradually decreased. Second, in the fifth grade, the more psychological and emotional support one experienced from parents, peers, and teachers, the lower the intercept of mobile phone dependency, and the slower the trend of change in growth over time. Third, the mobile phone dependency in the fifth grade had a significant effect on depression in the eighth grade. Lastly, while social capital in early adolescence did not show a significant direct effect on depression, it had an indirect effect on depression through the intercept of mobile phone dependency. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that supportive social relationships can be an important protective factor against mobile phone dependency and the emotional health of early adolescents. For prospective intervention in mobile phone dependency, it would be necessary to help early adolescents develop supportive relationships with parents, peers, and teachers and have positive emotional experiences with them.

A Longitudinal Analysis of the Relationship Between the Trajectory of Mobile Phone Dependency, Social Capital, and Depression in Early Adolescents

Kim¹,

Park²,

Park³

2021

Effect of Mothers’ Work-Family Gains on Children’s Communication: Dual Mediating Role of Mothers’ Permissive Parenting Practices and Children’s Media Dependency

Lee,

Kang

2023

Objectives: Recently, there has been a noticeable increase in mothers who juggle their jobs and raising children. This study examined the effect of mothers’ work-family gains on school-aged children’s communication skills. Specifically, we investigated how this influence is dual-mediated by mothers’ permissive parenting practices and children’s media dependency.Methods: This study utilized data from 10th version of the Panel Study of Korean Children (PSKC). Data were collected from 707 children (364 boys, 343 girls) and their working mothers. The average age of children was 9.4 (<i>SD</i> = 1.40). The study conducted descriptive, correlation, regression analyses, including bootstrapping, employing SPSS 27.0, and the PROCESS macro version 4.2 to examine the hypothesized dual mediation model.Results: First, mothers’ work-family gains negatively affected children’s communication skills. Second, mother’s work-family gains had decreased mother’s permissive parenting practices and children’s media dependency, but increased children’s communication skills. Therefore, variables showed partial mediation effect on their relationship. Third, the dual mediation effect of mothers’ permissive parenting practices and children’s media dependency had verified significant indirect effects with a 95% confidence interval.Conclusion: These findings indicate the critical role of the effects of mothers’ work-family gains on children’s communication skills, dual mediated by mother’s permissive parenting practices and children’s media dependency. These findings highlight the importance of focusing on mothers’ work-family gains rather than work-family conflicts. Moreover, this study provides an academic basis for examining the importance of mothers’ work-family gains on school-aged children, including working mothers of infants or young children.

The Effect of Employed Mothers’ Work-Family Balance on a Child’s Smartphone Overdependence: The Mediating Effect of Mother-Child Interaction Activities

Hong,

Jang

2023

Objectives: This research investigates how mother-child interactions mediate the effect of employed mothers' work-family balance on their children's excessive smartphone use. The study aims to provide insights for developing support for working mothers and their children.Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to employed mothers with children in kindergartens and daycare centers in Seoul and Gyeonggi, yielding 221 valid responses. SPSS 26.0 and Mplus 7.4 were used for analysis, including frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, and a mixed structural equation model, with significance at α = .05 and a 95% confidence interval.Results: The study found that a positive work-family balance enhances mother-child interaction, which in turn reduces children's smartphone overdependence. Conversely, work-family conflict increases this dependence, but is mitigated by mother-child interaction. The study delineates the relationships among work-family balance, interaction, and smartphone dependence in children.Conclusion: The interaction between working mothers and their children significantly influences children's smartphone overdependence. Thus, it's crucial to support employed mothers through educational strategies and programs promoting quality interactions with children, balancing work and family roles.