TY - JOUR

T1 - Screen use: Its association with caregiver mental health, parenting, and children's ADHD symptoms

AU - Waller, Franziska

AU - Prandstetter, Katharina

AU - Jansen, Elena

AU - Nikolova, Gordana

AU - Lachman, Jamie

AU - Hutchings, Judy

AU - Foran, Heather

N1 - Horizon 2020 Framework Programme. Grant Number: 779318

PY - 2023/12

Y1 - 2023/12

N2 - ObjectiveThe aim was to examine the relationship between caregiver's mental health (parental psychological distress, and parenting stress), dysfunctional parenting (lax or overreactive parenting), and the screen media use in understanding attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms of children within an integrated model framework.BackgroundFamilial factors and screen use have shown to be significantly related to ADHD in children. However, theoretical models of the role of family environment, screen use, and ADHD have rarely been tested jointly, and little is known about these associations in southeastern European middle-income countries (MICs).MethodData from 835 primary caregivers (92% biological mother, 4% biological father, 3% grandmother or grandfather, 1% other) of children (2 to 9 years) from three MICs were analyzed using path analyses, and models were tested for generalizability across education levels and marital status using multigroup analyses. ADHD-related symptoms were assessed with a structured clinical interview (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents–Parent Version [MINI-KID-P]) and the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL).ResultsWhereas screen use was directly associated with ADHD symptoms across measures, a significant indirect effect of lax parenting on attentional problems via screen use was found only for the CBCL parent report. The final models were tested using multigroup analyses across education levels and marital status with no significant differences.ConclusionInvestments in resource and capacity building for children's primary caregivers that target lax parenting and limiting of screen use may impact children's attentional problems across educational levels and married and nonmarried caregivers.

AB - ObjectiveThe aim was to examine the relationship between caregiver's mental health (parental psychological distress, and parenting stress), dysfunctional parenting (lax or overreactive parenting), and the screen media use in understanding attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms of children within an integrated model framework.BackgroundFamilial factors and screen use have shown to be significantly related to ADHD in children. However, theoretical models of the role of family environment, screen use, and ADHD have rarely been tested jointly, and little is known about these associations in southeastern European middle-income countries (MICs).MethodData from 835 primary caregivers (92% biological mother, 4% biological father, 3% grandmother or grandfather, 1% other) of children (2 to 9 years) from three MICs were analyzed using path analyses, and models were tested for generalizability across education levels and marital status using multigroup analyses. ADHD-related symptoms were assessed with a structured clinical interview (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents–Parent Version [MINI-KID-P]) and the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL).ResultsWhereas screen use was directly associated with ADHD symptoms across measures, a significant indirect effect of lax parenting on attentional problems via screen use was found only for the CBCL parent report. The final models were tested using multigroup analyses across education levels and marital status with no significant differences.ConclusionInvestments in resource and capacity building for children's primary caregivers that target lax parenting and limiting of screen use may impact children's attentional problems across educational levels and married and nonmarried caregivers.

KW - ADHD symptoms

KW - attention attentional problem behavior

KW - dysfunctional parenting

KW - parental psychological distress

KW - parenting stress

KW - screen media use

U2 - 10.1111/fare.12869

DO - 10.1111/fare.12869

M3 - Article

VL - 72

SP - 2499

EP - 2515

JO - Family Relations

JF - Family Relations

SN - 1741-3729

IS - 5

ER -