Perceived parental phubbing on Children's wellbeing : roles of relatedness needs satisfaction and resilience

Abstract

The prevalent use of smartphones has resulted in the phenomenon of ‘phubbing’, in which individuals shift their attention toward electronic devices, thereby paying no attention to others. The main objective of this study was to examine the influence of perceived parental phubbing on children’s wellbeing, with an emphasis on exploring the mediating role of satisfaction on relatedness needs and the role of resilience as a moderator. Drawing from the stress-buffering model and family systems theory, it was hypothesized that parental phubbing negatively correlated with children’s wellbeing in late childhood and adolescence. Furthermore, this study proposes that satisfaction with relatedness needs acts as a mediating factor in the association between perceived parental phubbing and children’s wellbeing. As phubbing behavior may impede the fulfilment of children’s need for relatedness, hence, leading to decreased levels of wellbeing. Additionally, the study investigated the moderating impact of resilience, suggesting that individuals with higher levels of resilience may be better equipped at managing the adverse effects of parental phubbing on their wellbeing. In this study, a cross-sectional design was employed to assess the relationships between parental phubbing, relatedness needs satisfaction, resilience, and children’s overall wellbeing using self-report questionnaires. This study was conducted with a sample of 205 children and adolescents aged 9-16 years (Mage = 11.53) in Hong Kong, and the results of this study partially supported the research hypotheses. While the mediating role of relatedness needs satisfaction was established between perceived parental phubbing and children’s wellbeing, further research is required to explore the moderating role of resilience. These findings yielded valuable insights into the impact of technology use on family dynamics, particularly regarding the impact of phubbing on children’s wellbeing in this digital era and hence offered guidance for developing strategies to mitigate its negative effects.