Parent-Adolescent Communication, School Engagement, and Internet Addiction among Chinese Adolescents: The Moderating Effect of Rejection Sensitivity

Jingjing Li, Chengfu Yu, Shuangju Zhen and Wei Zhang
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Jingjing Li: Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
Chengfu Yu: Department of Psychology, Research Center of Adolescent Psychology and Behavior, School of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Shuangju Zhen: Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
Wei Zhang: Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 7, 1-12

Abstract: Although a large body of research has indicated that parent-adolescent communication is a crucial protective factor for adolescent Internet addiction, the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. To address this research gap, this study, based on social control theory and the organism-environment interaction model, was designed to test whether school engagement mediated the relationship between parent-adolescent communication and adolescent Internet addiction and whether this mediating effect was moderated by rejection sensitivity. A sample of 1006 adolescents ( Mean age = 13.16 years, SD = 0.67) anonymously completed the questionnaires. The results showed that the positive association between parent-adolescent communication and adolescent Internet addiction was mediated by school engagement. Moreover, this indirect link was stronger among adolescents with high rejection sensitivity than those with low rejection sensitivity. These findings highlighted school engagement as a potential mechanism linking parent-adolescent communication to adolescent Internet addiction, with high rejection sensitivity being an important risk factor amplifying this indirect effect. Intervention programs aimed at reducing Internet addiction among adolescents might benefit from the current research.

Keywords: parent-adolescent communication; Internet addiction; school engagement; rejection sensitivity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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