How parental mediation affects adolescents’ problematic smartphone use: the chain mediating role of basic psychological needs and positive outcome expectations

作者：Yan Chen, Qianhong Gu, Qishan Zheng, Biying Hu, Chuanhua Gu, Qingping Hu, Yuqi Cao · 发表于：Frontiers in Psychology · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1590057 · 被引用次数：6 · 研究领域：Impact of Technology on Adolescents、Child Development and Digital Technology、Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

Purpose: Problematic smartphone use can significantly jeopardize adolescents' academic development as well as their physical and mental health. Although previous studies have explored the role of parental mediation strategies in adolescents' problematic smartphone use, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the relationship between parental mediation and adolescents' problematic smartphone use, with a specific focus on the chain mediation effects of basic psychological needs and positive outcome expectations. Methods: This study conducted a cross-sectional survey of 1,947 students from three junior high schools in Wuhan, Yichang, and Xiaogan, China, using a cluster sampling method. Validated scales were employed to measure parental mediation, problematic smartphone use, basic psychological needs, and positive outcome expectations. Results: The findings revealed that active mediation not only directly influences problematic smartphone use but also exerts an indirect effect through the individual mediation of basic psychological needs and positive outcome expectations, as well as through the sequential mediation from basic psychological needs to positive outcome expectations. Parental supervision not only directly influenced problematic smartphone use but also exerted indirect effects through the independent mediating role of basic psychological needs and the chain mediation pathway from basic psychological needs to positive outcome expectation...