The mediation roles of self-regulation and problematic internet use: How maladaptive parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic influenced adolescents' academic procrastination in the postpandemic era.

INTRODUCTION: In the transition to the postpandemic era, adolescents are working to shift their focus back to school. However, the prevalence of academic procrastination is reflective of that the aftereffects of the pandemic are persisting. Literature documents the increases in the negative parenting behaviors and internet use of adolescents during the pandemic. The excessive internet use has to do with adolescents' self-regulatory capabilities and self-regulation is profoundly shaped by parents' parenting practices. Given the connections among these factors, the present study seeks to understand how maladaptive parenting practices during the pandemic influenced adolescents' academic procrastination postpandemic through the mediation of self-regulation and problematic internet use. METHOD: Using three waves of data from a total of 1062 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 14.9 years old, SD = 1.6, 13-18 years old; 45% female), we used structural equation modeling to examine the direct effect of maladaptive parenting on academic procrastination and its indirect effect via self-regulation and problematic internet use. RESULTS: Maladaptive parenting during the pandemic did not directly predict adolescent academic procrastination post-pandemic. Yet, maladaptive parenting indirectly influenced academic procrastination both through self-regulation solely and self-regulation and problematic internet use sequentially. CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrate that parents can contribute to adolescents' academic procrastination by influencing their self-regulation ability, which further impacts their internet use. Self-regulation serves as a robust mediator between parenting and adolescents' problematic behaviors related to internet use and learning. Implications for parents and intervention oriented toward adolescents are discussed.

Parent-adolescent conflict and problematic internet use among Chinese adolescents: the mediating role of depression and the moderating role of school climate.

BACKGROUND: Problematic Internet use (PIU) may lead adolescents to physical, emotional, social, or functional impairment due to the risky, excessive, or impulsive internet use manner. How do the experiences of adolescents influence them using the internet in a problematic manner? The answer to this question is the key to preventing and intervening PIU of adolescents. To address this question, we focus on the interactions among family (parent-adolescent conflict), school (school climate), and individual factors (PIU, depression), exploring the influence factors of PIU. METHODS: A moderated mediation model was constructed to explore the relationship between variables. Using a two-wave longitudinal design with a six-month interval between timepoints, this study collected data from 801 Chinese adolescents (411 boys, Mage = 14.68) by questionnaires. Path analysis was employed to test the model and participants' age, sex and baseline were controlled. RESULTS: Parent-adolescent conflict at Time 1 (T1) was positively related to PIU at Time 2 (T2) in adolescents. Depression at T2 mediated the relationship between parent-adolescent conflict at T1 and PIU at T2. School climate at T2 significantly moderated the mediation effect of depression on the relationship between parent-adolescent conflict at T1 and PIU at T2. Specifically, positive school climate could significantly weaken the negative effect of depression on PIU for adolescents with low level of depression. CONCLUSIONS: The present study reveals that parent-adolescent conflict leads to PIU in adolescents through depression whilst the school climate moderates the impacts of depression on PIU. This adds further evidence regarding the significance of systematically and consistently incorporating family and school in the alleviating of problem behaviors displayed by teens.

Parental Autonomy Granting, Peer Attachment and Problematic Internet Use Among Chinese Adolescents: The Moderating Effect of School Climate.

While the correlation between parental autonomy granting and adolescents' problematic Internet use (PIU) has been confirmed, the processes underlying this connection have not been thoroughly investigated. Drawing on the ecological systems theory, this study sought to investigate the mediating mechanism of peer attachment and the moderating mechanism of school climate that link parental autonomy granting to PIU. A two-wave longitudinal design was employed with a time interval of six months. The participants were 852 adolescents who attended three middle schools located in Guangdong Province, China. Self-report questionnaires were used to obtain data on demographics, parental autonomy granting, peer attachment, school climate, and PIU. The findings indicated that peer attachment significantly mediated the link between parental autonomy granting and adolescent PIU. A positive school climate significantly moderated the influence of parental autonomy granting on peer attachment and the influence of peer attachment on PIU. Specifically, the association between parental autonomy granting and peer attachment and the association between peer attachment and PIU were more pronounced when the school climate was perceived to be positive. This research underscores the possible significance of peer attachment in the association between parental autonomy granting and PIU and offers valuable insights for mitigating the negative outcomes of PIU.

Does the Effect of Stress on Smartphone Addiction Vary Depending on the Gender and Type of Addiction?

Stress is closely associated with smartphone addiction. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of studies investigating the potential variation in the effect of stress on smartphone addiction based on the specific addiction type and gender. We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire survey among 596 high school students. The results revealed that the effect size of stress on smartphone addiction varied across different types of addiction. The strongest relationship was observed between stress and social media addiction, followed by the relationship between stress and information acquisition addiction. Furthermore, gender played a significant moderating role in stress and three types of smartphone addiction. Specifically, stress was strongly associated with information acquisition addiction overall, with no significant gender differences observed. In contrast, stress exhibited a strong correlation with social media addiction, which was significantly more prevalent among females. On the other hand, game addiction and short-form video addiction were both strongly associated with stress, but showed significantly higher prevalence among males. This study enhances current research by offering supplementary insights into the correlation between stress and smartphone addiction, as well as exploring the potential implications of intervening in smartphone addiction.

Spirituality and Cyberaggression: Mediating and Moderating Effect of Self-Control and School Climate.

BACKGROUND: Cyberaggression is an essential topic to focus on when it comes to adolescents' development. We focused on understanding the relationship between spirituality, self-control, school climate, and cyberaggression by examining the mediating and moderating effect of self-control and school climate. METHODS: We examined 456 middle school students (M age = 13.45, SD = 1.07), 475 high school students (M age = 16.35, SD = 0.76), and 1117 college students (M age = 20.22, SD = 1.50). RESULTS: Results indicated that the mediating effect of self-control was significant for the college sample on both types of cyberaggression and marginally significant for the high school and middle school sample on reactive cyberaggression. The moderating effect varied across the three samples. School climate moderated the first half of the mediation model for all three samples, the second half for middle school and college student samples on reactive cyberaggression, the direct path for middle school samples on reactive cyberaggression, and the college student sample on both types of cyberaggression. CONCLUSION: Spirituality has varying degrees of association with cyberaggression through the mediating role of self-control and the moderating role of school climate.

The Association between Peer Victimization and Risk-Taking Behavior among Chinese Adolescents: Testing a Moderated Mediation Model.

Peer victimization has been considered a main source of risk-taking behavior among adolescents, but little is known about the mechanisms underlying this association. Based on the social-cognitive theory and the person-environment interactions model, the current study built a moderated mediation model to explore whether self-control mediated the link between peer victimization and adolescent risk-taking behavior and whether positive parenting moderated this link. We used a 2-time longitudinal design (6 months apart) to investigate 488 adolescents (Mage = 15.63 years, SD = 1.64) from 3 middle schools in Guangzhou. The results were as follows: (1) There were significant correlations among peer victimization, adolescent risk-taking behavior, self-control, and positive parenting when controlling for demographic variables. (2) Peer victimization not only influenced risk-taking behavior directly, but also indirectly through self-control. (3) Positive parenting moderated the influence of self-control on risk-taking behavior. In other words, positive parenting could enhance the inhibitory effect of self-control on risk-taking behavior. The results help reveal the mechanism by which adolescent risk-taking behavior forms and may help inform interventions against adolescent risk-taking behavior.

The impact of career-related parental behaviors on career decision-making self-efficacy and ambivalence-A latent growth model.

INTRODUCTION: The current study investigated the developmental trajectory of adolescents' career decision-making self-efficacy (self-efficacy) and ambivalence in career decision-making (ambivalence) as well as the longitudinal impact of career-related parental behaviors (parental behaviors) on self-efficacy and self-efficacy on ambivalence. METHODS: We recruited 588 students from two elementary schools and three middle schools from city of Guangzhou, Province Guangdong in China. Participants were from Grade 4 to Grade 9 with an average age of 11.88 (SD = 1.63), 321 (54.6%) were male, and 9 (1.53%) were missing for gender. We applied a latent growth model using data from all three waves. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: After applying a latent growth model using data from all three waves, the results have indicated that self-efficacy decreased as these participants transitioned from childhood to early adolescence, and that their ambivalence fell on an increasing trajectory. Cross-sectionally, it indicated that "support" of parental behaviors was positively associated with self-efficacy, and "interference" of parental behaviors was positively associated with ambivalence. Longitudinally, "interference" of parental behaviors was negatively predicting the change rate of self-efficacy. A predictive relation did not exist between self-efficacy and ambivalence, such that a negative correlation was observed on a cross-sectional level. Implications and limitations are discussed as well.

Linking Self-Control to Negative Risk-Taking Behavior among Chinese Late Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model.

Negative risk-taking behaviors refer to voluntary behaviors that lead to more harm than good. Low self-control is a crucial predictor of adolescents' negative risk-taking behavior, but its internal mechanisms require further exploration. To reveal the working process underlying the association between self-control and adolescents' negative risk-taking behaviors, we investigated the mediation of regulatory focus and the moderation of sense of power. A total of 2018 students (37.6% males) from two universities in Guangzhou, China, participated in a survey that investigated their self-control, negative risk-taking behavior, regulatory focus and sense of power. The results revealed that after controlling for the adolescents' sex and their parents' educational level, prevention focus partially mediated the association between self-control and negative risk-taking behavior. Moreover, sense of power moderated the association between self-control and prevention focus. Furthermore, the association between self-control and negative risk-taking behavior through prevention focus was stronger among adolescents with a high sense of power than among those with a low sense of power. Therefore, our findings suggest that regulatory focus and sense of power might be the mechanisms that explain how self-control is related to negative risk-taking behavior. These results thus provide a foundation for the prevention of and intervention in adolescents' negative risk-taking behavior.

The Relationship between Parent-Child Attachment, Belief in a Just World, School Climate and Cyberbullying: A Moderated Mediation.

The present study investigated the relationship between parental attachment and cyberbullying, with the just world belief of the mediator and school climate being the moderator. We collected survey data from 750 middle school students and analyzed the data through mediation and moderation models. The results indicated that after controlling for gender and age, parent-child attachment was negatively related to cyberbullying, with a just world belief significantly mediating this relationship. What is more, school climate moderated the second half of this relationship, as we predicted. We offered possible reasons for the results. Limitations and direction for future studies were discussed.

Parent-child relationship and smartphone addiction among Chinese adolescents: A longitudinal moderated mediation model.

Using a three-wave longitudinal design, we examined the relationship between early parent-child relationship and subsequent smartphone addiction (SA) and explored mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relation. A total of 527 Chinese adolescents (271 boys and 256 girls, mean age = 11.23 years) completed questionnaires regarding parent-child relationship, smartphone addiction, hope and life satisfaction. The results showed that: (1) parent-child relationship (T1) was positively associated with life satisfaction (T1) and hope (T2); parent-child relationship (T1), life satisfaction (T1), and hope (T2) were significantly negatively associated with SA (T3); (2) After controlling for age, gender, and SA (T1), hope (T2) completely mediated the relationship between parental-child relationship (T1) and adolescents' SA (T3); (3) life satisfaction (T1) moderated the association between parent-child relationship (T1) and hope (T2). Specifically, as life satisfaction (T1) increased, parent-child relationship (T1) was more likely to promote hope (T2). Moreover, the indirect negative links between parent-child relationship (T1) and SA (T3) via hope (T2) were stronger for adolescents with high level of life satisfaction (T1) than for adolescents with low level of life satisfaction (T1). The results reveal the mechanism of hope and life satisfaction in the effect of parent-child relationship on SA in adolescents, indicating that SA among adolescents can be weakened through the improvement of parent-child relationship, the rise in hope and the increase in life satisfaction.

Measurement Invariance of the Self-Stigma of Mental Illness Scale: A Cross-Cultural Study.

The current study assessed the measurement invariance of the Self-stigma of Mental Illness scale (SSOMI) across Chinese and US samples and assessed whether the SSOMI differentially relates to distress levels across Chinese and US participants. We included 487 participants in China and 550 in the US (mean age was 19.52 in China and 19.29 in the US). The results indicated that partial measurement invariance of the SSOMI scale across China and the United States participants was established. Furthermore, we observed validity evidence for the SSOMI scale through its correlations with a well-established self-stigma measure and measures of depression, anxiety, and stress. Finally, we found that the SSOMI scale is more strongly linked to symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress in China than it is in the United States, supporting previous research. These findings enable researchers to utilize the scale cross-culturally (i.e., with participants of Chinese and US origin), and to develop and implement interventions targeting mental illness stigma in both China and the United States.

The influence of meaning in life on children and adolescents' problematic smartphone use: A three-wave multiple mediation model.

Using a three-wave longitudinal design, the current study examined the relationship between early meaning in life and subsequent problematic smartphone use (PSU). As depression and self-control are a strong predictor of Internet-related addiction, we examined these two variables as possible mediators in this relationship based on existing literature. A total of 478 Chinese children and adolescents (243 boys and 235 girls, mean age = 11.26 years) completed questionnaires regarding meaning in life, depression, self-control and PSU. The results indicated that: (a) presence of meaning and search for meaning are positive correlation, and they are negatively associated with PSU among children and adolescents; (b) depression and self-control mediated the link between presence of meaning and children and adolescents' subsequent PSU respectively; and (c) depression and self-control sequentially mediated the relationship between early presence of meaning and children and adolescents' subsequent PSU; whereas not sequentially mediated the relationship between search for meaning and children and adolescents' subsequent PSU. These results suggested that three types of interventions could be effectively used to decrease the risk of PSU among children and adolescents, namely, enhancing presence of meaning, relieving depression, and improving self-control.

Social Exclusion and Impulsive Buying among Chinese College Students: The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem and the Moderating Role of Risk Preference.

With the development of science and technology, buying has become much easier. At the same time, however, impulsive buying has many negative consequences for college students, such as dissatisfaction and debt; the causes of impulsive buying should, therefore, be explored urgently. There are numerous empirical studies indicating that social exclusion may be a potential factor of impulsive buying, and the underlying mechanisms of this association remain unclear. In this study, we used the Social Exclusion Scale, Self-Esteem Scale, Risk Preference Scale, and Impulsive Buying Scale, as well as a cross-sectional design to investigate the roles of self-esteem and risk preference in the relationship between social exclusion and impulsive buying among 768 college students (387 were female, Mage = 20.25 years). The results were as follows: (1) when controlling for gender, age, family monthly income, and monthly living expenses, social exclusion significantly and positively predicted impulsive buying; (2) self-esteem played a mediating role between social exclusion and impulsive buying; (3) risk preference moderated the relationship between the second half of the mediating path and the direct path. These results reveal the mechanism underlying impulsive buying in college students, that is, social exclusion will predict the decrease in college students' self-esteem, and low self-esteem will further predict college students' impulsive buying, which is a way for them to gain a sense of self-worth. Relatively low risk preference can well alleviate the negative impact of social exclusion and low self-esteem on impulsive buying. What is more, these results have implications for impulsive buying interventions and preventions. Schools should aim to create a good peer atmosphere by implementing certain rules that help to reduce social exclusion, and parents and education departments should cultivate students' risk awareness to avoid risk behaviors in college students, such as impulsive buying behavior. This study fills the research gap regarding college students' impulsive buying and explores its internal psychological mechanism.

The Association between School Climate and Aggression: A Moderated Mediation Model.

While previous studies have shown evidence of an association between school climate and aggression, few have explored the mechanisms behind this association. As such, this cross-sectional study focused on both the mediating effects of self-control and the moderating effects of the parent-child relationship on the association between school climate and aggression. Data were obtained through an anonymous survey conducted among 1030 Chinese elementary and middle school students (52.72% male, average age = 11.53 years), who responded to items on school climate, aggression, self-control, and the parent-child relationship. First, the results showed that school climate was negatively associated with aggression. Second, a mediation analysis showed that self-control significantly mediated the association between school climate and aggression. Third, a moderated mediation analysis showed that the parent-child relationship significantly moderated the first stage of the indirect path (school climate → self-control). Specifically, this association was notably stronger among children and adolescents with better parent-child relationships. In sum, these findings constitute a valuable reference for both improving self-control and in the context of targeted interventions aimed at preventing aggression in children and adolescents in China.

Parental Warmth, Gratitude, and Prosocial Behavior among Chinese Adolescents: The Moderating Effect of School Climate.

Parental warmth plays an important role in the development of adolescents' physical and mental health. There are numerous empirical studies indicating a relationship between parental warmth and prosocial behavior among adolescents, although the underlying mechanisms of this association remain unclear. Adopting a longitudinal design across two time points, the present study proposes a moderated mediation model to explore the mediating role of gratitude and the moderating role of the school climate between parental warmth and prosocial behavior. The sample consisted of 943 participants (483 boys and 451 girls) who participated in the second assessment and completed questionnaires assessing gratitude, school climate, and prosocial behavior in April 2019. Their parents participated in the first assessment and completed a questionnaire pertaining to parental warmth in October 2018. After controlling for the gender and age of the adolescents, the results showed that the positive association between parental warmth and prosocial behavior is mediated by gratitude, and school climate does play a moderating role in the second half of the mediating path. Specifically, the school climate can play a protective role in adolescents with low levels of gratitude. For adolescents with less gratitude, a strong school climate can promote more prosocial behaviors and can effectively alleviate the negative prediction of low levels of gratitude. This study provides a theoretical explanation for the generation of adolescents' prosocial behavior and provides theoretical guidance for the interventions of schools and parents.

The Relationship between Peer Attachment and Aggressive Behavior among Chinese Adolescents: The Mediating Effect of Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy.

This study aimed to test the association between peer attachment and aggressive behavior, as well as the mediating effect of regulatory emotional self-efficacy on this relationship. A total of 1171 (582 male, 589 female) Chinese adolescents completed self-reported questionnaires that assessed peer attachment, regulatory emotional self-efficacy, and aggressive behavior. Path analysis showed that the negative association between peer attachment and adolescent aggressive behavior was mediated by self-efficacy in managing negative emotions. However, the mediating effect of self-efficacy in expressing positive emotions was nonsignificant. Moreover, there was no significant difference in the indirect paths mentioned above between male and female respondents. These findings highlight self-efficacy in managing negative emotions as a potential mechanism linking peer attachment to adolescent aggressive behavior.

The School-Ladder Effect: Subjective Socioeconomic Status and Diurnal Cortisol Profile Among Adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: Subjective socioeconomic status (SES) is a well-established psychosocial determinant of adolescents' self-report health. However, whether low subjective SES is associated with stress-related physiological risks (e.g., dysregulations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity) remains uncertain. This study examined the impact of subjective SES with different reference groups (i.e., perception of family SES relative to other students in the school versus other people in the city) on adolescents' diurnal cortisol profiles. METHODS: A sample of 255 adolescents (aged 11-14 years; 53.7% boys) completed a battery of psychological scales, including school-referenced subjective SES and city-referenced subjective SES. Diurnal cortisol was assessed by collecting saliva samples four times a day across two consecutive days. Four cortisol parameters (cortisol at awakening, cortisol awakening response [CAR], cortisol slope, and total cortisol secretion [area under the curve with respect to ground {AUCg}]) were derived. RESULTS: Higher levels of school-referenced subjective SES were associated with higher cortisol levels at awakening (ß = 0.0483, standard error [SE] = 0.0219, p = .028), steeper cortisol slopes (ß = -0.0036, SE = 0.0017, p = .034), and higher cortisol AUCg (b = 0.50, SE = 0.24, p = .036), but not with CAR (p = .77), after adjusting for covariates. In contrast, city-referenced subjective SES was not associated with any of the cortisol parameters (cortisol at awakening [p = .90], CAR [p = .74], cortisol slope [p = .84], and cortisol AUCg [p = .68]). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the importance of the reference group for subjective SES and provide a further understanding of socioeconomic disparities in adolescents' stress physiology.

The Influence of Factors Such as Parenting Stress and Social Support on the State Anxiety in Parents of Special Needs Children During the COVID-19 Epidemic.

OBJECTIVES: The study aims to investigate the state anxiety of parents of special needs children during the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic and the influence of parental stress, social support, and other related variables on the anxiety of parents. METHODS: Bespoke questionnaires of children's and parent's mental and behavioral problems during the epidemic were used in the study. We also used the State Anxiety Inventory (S-AI), the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form-15 (PSI-SF-15), the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). The data used in the study were pooled from an online survey of parents of special needs children and analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Overall, 1,451 individuals were included, of which 402 were fathers (27.71%) and 1,049 were mothers (72.29%). ANOVA results showed that educational background, family monthly income, and type of their child's disability made parents' state anxiety significantly different. The results of multiple linear regression showed that during the epidemic, social support negatively predicted parents' state anxiety (B = -0.15, p < 0.001), whereas parenting stress (B = 0.07, p = 0.001) and parental mental and behavioral problems (B = 0.37, p < 0.001) positively predicted parents' state anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: During the outbreak of COVID-19, parents of special needs children suffered mental and behavioral problems, together with parenting stress and social support, which influenced their state anxiety. These findings can be used to develop relevant psychological interventions to improve the mental health of vulnerable groups during a pandemic like COVID-19.

Cyberbullying Victimization and Non-suicidal Self-Injurious Behavior Among Chinese Adolescents: School Engagement as a Mediator and Sensation Seeking as a Moderator.

Although a large body of research has indicated that cyberbullying victimization is a crucial risk factor for adolescent non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) behavior, the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. To address this research gap, this study, based on the social control theory and the organism-environment interaction model, was designed to test whether school engagement mediated the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and adolescent NSSI and whether this mediating effect was moderated by sensation seeking. A sample of 1,102 adolescents (M age = 13.17; SD = 0.69) anonymously completed the questionnaires. The results showed that the positive association between cyberbullying victimization and adolescent NSSI was mediated by school engagement. Moreover, this indirect link was significant for adolescents with high-level sensation seeking but non-significant for adolescents with low-level sensation seeking. These findings highlight school engagement as a potential mechanism linking cyberbullying victimization to adolescent NSSI, and high sensation seeking was an important risk factor to amplify this indirect effect. Intervention programs aimed at reducing NSSI among adolescents may benefit from the current research.

Career-related parental behaviors, adolescents' consideration of future consequences, and career adaptability: A three-wave longitudinal study.

Career adaptability is a critical psychological resource for adolescents during their transition from secondary to postsecondary education. Based on prospective data from 451 Chinese adolescents (M = 16.87, SD = 0.63; 46.3% female), this study examined the mediating role of adolescents' consideration of future consequences (CFCS) in the association between career-related parental behaviors and adolescents' career adaptability. Results demonstrated that career-related parental support at Wave 1 was associated positively with adolescents' career adaptability and its subdimensions (i.e., career concern, control, curiosity, and confidence) at Wave 3 (i.e., 10 months later). Adolescents' CFCS at Wave 2 (i.e., 5 months later after Wave 1) served as a mediator linking career-related parental support at Wave 1 and career concern, control, and curiosity, but not confidence at Wave 3. Neither parental lack of engagement nor interference at Wave 1 predicted adolescents' career adaptability at Wave 3. These results suggest that interventions assisting parents in performing supportive behaviors, such as engaging in adolescents' career exploration activities and offering information about various kinds of jobs, might be useful strategies to foster adolescents' curiosity and confidence in choosing future career paths. Additionally, counselors and parents may offer adolescents strategies to strengthen their abilities to consider the potential influences of their current behaviors on future career paths (e.g., prioritizing behaviors and activities related to their future career paths over activities that only provide immediate or short-term gratification) to promote their capabilities of coping with challenges during the career transition period. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).