Internet Addiction: A Closer Look at Multidimensional Parenting Practices and Child Mental Health.

Abstract

This study aimed to examine how both psychosocial variables (authoritative, authoritarian, and shaming, and parent-child relationships) and psychological symptoms were associated with Internet addiction, while controlling for the sociodemographic variable (child gender). A national proportionately stratified random sample of 6,233 fourth-grade primary school students in Taiwan participated in the study. Hierarchical regression models were performed to test the research hypotheses. The results show that psychological symptoms, authoritarian parenting, and shaming were positively associated with Internet addiction, whereas authoritative parenting and positive parent-child relationship were negatively associated with Internet addiction. Girls had lower levels of Internet addiction than boys. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the direct effects of child mental health status, multidimensional parenting practices, and family relationship on Internet addiction in children, and the importance of early individual- and family-based prevention and intervention in addressing related public health concerns of Internet addiction in children. The cultural perspectives of parenting and implications of these findings are discussed.