The Role of Parenting, Dysregulation and Self-Esteem in Adolescents’ Problematic Social Network Site Use: A Test of Parallel and Serial Mediation Models in a Healthy Community Sample

Alessandro Costantini, Cristina Semeraro, Pasquale Musso, Rosalinda Cassibba and Gabrielle Coppola ()
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Alessandro Costantini: Department of Political Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70121 Bari, Italy
Cristina Semeraro: Department of Education, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70121 Bari, Italy
Pasquale Musso: Department of Education, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70121 Bari, Italy
Rosalinda Cassibba: Department of Education, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70121 Bari, Italy
Gabrielle Coppola: Department of Education, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70121 Bari, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 20, 1-14

Abstract: The study addresses some gaps in the current understanding of adolescents’ Problematic Social Network Site Use (PSNSU) by exploring the role of parenting as a precursor, and dysregulation and self-esteem as possible mediators. The sample includes 148 parents (15% fathers) and their adolescent offspring (23% male, age ranging from 14 to 18 years old, M = 15.96, SD = 1.36). Parent-reported dysregulation and positive/negative parenting style and adolescent-reported PSNSU and self-esteem were collected. As to positive parenting, simple parallel mediations were fully supported: positive parenting was associated with less dysregulation and higher self-esteem and both conditions independently predicted adolescents’ PSNSU. Additionally, a serial mediation model was confirmed, suggesting that positive parenting is associated with less PSNSU by means of the sequential effect of dysregulation on self-esteem. As to negative parenting, results only support one simple mediation: negative parenting predicted PSNSU through dysregulation. Self-esteem was not impacted by negative parenting, interrupting the indirect pathways. The direct effect of negative parenting on PSNSU was significant, suggesting a partial mediation. Findings deepen the current understanding of teens’ PSNSU and highlight the importance of targeting parenting when implementing interventions to prevent and treat PSNSU.

Keywords: positive parenting; negative parenting; dysregulation profile; self-esteem; problematic social network site use (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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