Parental Phubbing and Smartphone Addiction Among Chinese Adolescents: A Moderated-Mediation Model

Abstract

Abstract It has been reported that parental phubbing(PP) is a significant risk predictor of smartphone addiction (SPA) among adolescents. However, the mechanisms underlying this association remain largely unclarified. On the basis of the ecological systems and social learning theories, this study assessed the mediating effect of deviant peer affiliation (DPA) and the moderating effect of sensation seeking (SS) in the association between parental phubbing and SPA among Chinese adolescents. A total of 786 Chinese adolescents (mean age = 13.17 years, SD = 1.35) completed the questionnaires anonymously about parental phubbing, SPA, DPA and SS. After adjusting for study variables, DPA could partially mediate the relationship between parental phubbing and SPA among adolescents and this indirect path could be moderated by SS. Notably, the effect of DPA on SPA was greater in adolescents with higher SS than in those with lower SS.