Digital distraction or accessible aid? Parental media use during feedings and parent-infant attachment, dysfunction, and relationship quality

Associations between maternal smartphone use and mother-infant responsiveness: A cluster analysis of potential risk and protective factors

Contradictory results in the extant literature suggests that additional risk factors should be considered when exploring the impacts of maternal smartphone use on mother-infant relationships. This study used cluster analysis to explore whether certain risk factors were implicated in mother-infant dyads with high smartphone use and low mother-infant responsiveness. A cross-sectional survey of 450 participants in the UK measured infant social-emotional development, maternal depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms, wellbeing, social support, smartphone use, and mother-infant responsiveness. Participants were predominantly White (95.3%) and living with a partner (95.2%), with infants who were born full-term (88.9%). Cluster analysis identified three clusters characterized as; cluster (1) "infant at risk" showing high infant development concerns, high maternal smartphone use, and low mother-infant responsiveness; cluster (2) "mother at risk" showing high maternal depressive, anxiety, and stress scores, low social support, high maternal smartphone use, and low mother-infant responsiveness, and cluster (3) "low risk" showing low maternal smartphone use and high mother-infant responsiveness. Significant differences were found between all risk factors, except for maternal smartphone use and mother-infant responsiveness between clusters 1 and 2 suggesting that both clusters require early intervention, although interventions should be tailored towards the different risk factors they are presenting with.

Mindful Parenting and Parent Technology Use: Examining the Intersections and Outlining Future Research Directions

Popular media attention and scientific research in both mindful parenting and technology use in the context of parenting has expanded in the 21st century; however, these two streams of research have largely evolved separately from one another. Thus, in this conceptual paper, we integrate the research on mindful parenting with that on parents’ technology use and parenting to examine how parent technology use may impact or be linked with aspects of mindful parenting. Mindful parenting theory outlines five key components: listening with full attention, self-regulation in the parent–child relationship, emotional awareness of self and child, nonjudgmental acceptance of self and child, and compassion for self and child. Parent technology use, in particular the use of mobile devices, has the potential to impact all five elements of mindful parenting. However, the relationship between mindful parenting and technology is complex, and there can be both positive and negative implications of parent technology use on mindful parenting. On the positive side, technology use might help parents regulate their emotions; access support; and develop more empathy, acceptance, and compassion for themselves and their children. Yet, parent technology use also has the potential to create distractions and disrupt parent–child interactions, which may make it more difficult for parents to listen with full attention, maintain awareness of their own and their child’s emotions, and calmly respond to child behaviors with intentionality. Technology use may also create more opportunities for social comparisons and judgement, making it more difficult for parents to accept their children nonjudgmentally and have compassion for their children as they are. Future research is needed to understand the conditions under which technology use can hinder or promote mindful parenting and how interventions can promote mindful parenting skills and a positive uses of technology.