The Effect of Upper Elementary Children’s Parentification on their Smartphone Dependency in Double-Income Families: The Sequential Mediating Effect of Ambivalence over Emotional Expression and Loneliness

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the effect of parentification on the smartphone dependency of upper elementary school children in double-income families and to verify whether ambivalence over emotional expression and loneliness sequentially mediates the relationship between parentification and smartphone dependency. The participants were 311 upper-elementary school students (4th to 6th graders; 126 boys, 40.5%) in double-income households residing in Seoul, Gyeong-gi, and Incheon. The data were collected through an online self-report questionnaire completed by the participants and were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 and Mplus 8.7 software. The results can be summarized as follows. Firstly, the direct effect of parentification on the smartphone dependency of the children from double-income families was statistically insignificant. Secondly, ambivalence over emotional expression mediated the effect of parentification on smartphone dependency, while loneliness did not. Lastly, parentification influenced smartphone dependency through the sequential mediating channel of ambivalence over emotional expression and loneliness. In conclusion, these findings indicate that interventions for smartphone-overdependent children from double-income families should place emphasis on children’s psychological difficulties attributed to parentification. Specifically, this study highlights the importance of alleviating the levels of ambivalence over emotional expression and loneliness to address the issue of children’s smartphone dependency in double-income families, suggesting possible involvement and support at both household and societal levels.