Technoference: longitudinal associations between parent technology use, parenting stress, and child behavior problems

Abstract

Background and objectives: Heavy parent digital technology use has been associated with suboptimal parent-child interactions and internalizing/externalizing child behavior, but directionality of associations is unclear. This study aims to investigate longitudinal bidirectional associations between parent technology use and child behavior, and understand whether this is mediated by parenting stress.

Methods: Participants included 183 couples with a young child (age 0-5 years, mean = 3.0 years) who completed surveys at baseline, 1, 3 and 6 months. Cross-lagged structural equation models of parent technology interference during parent-child activities, parenting stress, and child externalizing and internalizing behavior were tested.

Results: Controlling for potential confounders, we found that across all time points (1) greater child externalizing behavior predicted greater technology interference, via greater parenting stress; and (2) technology interference often predicted greater externalizing behavior. Although associations between child internalizing behavior and technology interference were relatively weaker, bidirectional associations were more consistent for child withdrawal behaviors.

Conclusions: Our results suggest bidirectional dynamics in which (a) parents, stressed by their child's difficult behavior, may then withdraw from parent-child interactions with technology and (b) this higher technology use during parent-child interactions may influence externalizing and withdrawal behaviors over time.

Figure 1.

Structural equation model of longitudinal associations between parent-reported technology interference in the parent-child relationship and child externalizing behavior, with parenting stress as the mediator between externalizing behavior and later parent-child technology interference. Standardized path estimates are displayed. Mothers’ and fathers’ estimates are displayed as mother / father when found to be significantly different between mothers and fathers; all other model paths were constrained to be equal between mothers and fathers. Parent characteristics, child age, child screen use, parent depressive symptoms, and coparenting quality were controlled but then removed as results did not change. ***p < .001, **p < .01, *p < .05

Figure 2.

Structural equation model of longitudinal associations between parent-reported technology interference in the parent-child relationship and child internalizing behavior, with parenting stress as the mediator between internalizing behavior and later parent-child technology interference. Standardized path estimates are displayed. Mothers’ and fathers’ estimates are displayed as mother / father when found to be significantly different between mothers and fathers; all other model paths were constrained to be equal between mothers and fathers. Parent characteristics, child age, child screen use, parent depressive symptoms, and coparenting quality were controlled but then removed as results did not change. ***p < .001, **p < .01, *p < .05, †p < .10.

Figure 3.

Structural equation model of longitudinal associations between parent-reported technology interference in the parent-child relationship and child withdrawal behavior, with parenting stress as the mediator between withdrawal behavior and later parent-child technology interference. Standardized path estimates are displayed. Mothers’ and fathers’ estimates are displayed as mother / father when found to be significantly different between mothers and fathers; all other model paths were constrained to be equal between mothers and fathers. ***p < .001, **p < .01, *p < .05, †p < .10.