Parental Support and Problematic Smartphone Use: A Serial Mediating Model of Self-Esteem and Fear of Missing Out

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 19; no. 13; p. 7657
• Main Author: Kim, Ji-Hye
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 23-06-2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Addictive behaviors; Adolescents; Age groups; Behavior; Consent; Correlation coefficient; Correlation coefficients; Family structure; Fear; Hypotheses; Influence; Middle school students; Middle schools; Parents & parenting; Peers; Personality; Questionnaires; Schools; Self esteem; Smartphones; Social anxiety; Social networks; Statistical analysis; Statistical tests; Teenagers; Variance analysis
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19137657

Based on problem behavior theory and interpersonal acceptance–rejection theory, this study aimed to examine the mediating roles of self-esteem and fear of missing out (FoMO) on the influence of parental support on adolescents’ problematic smartphone use. This study is a cross-sectional and descriptive study. A total of 260 Korean adolescents from two public middle schools were selected through convenience sampling (female, 50.4%; mean age, 13.16 ± 0.84; range age, 12~15). Participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing sociodemographic characteristics, parental support, self-esteem, FoMO, and problematic smartphone use. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and mediation analysis. The findings show that self-esteem and FoMO play a serial mediating role in the relationship between parental support and adolescents’ problematic smartphone use. Specifically, parental support had a negative effect on adolescents’ problematic smartphone use by increasing self-esteem but decreasing FoMO. These results provide further guidance in the prevention of and intervention of adolescent problematic smartphone use.