Unique and interactive effects of parental neglect, school connectedness, and trait self-control on mobile short-form video dependence among Chinese left-behind adolescents

Influence of stress on self-injury among Chinese left-behind adolescents is not cast in stone: Synergistic roles of family protective factors

BACKGROUND

Left-behind adolescents are vulnerable to stressful life events and often engage in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), which is a growing public concern in China. However, little is known about the synergistic protective effect of family resources on the relationship between stressful life events and NSSI in these adolescents.

OBJECTIVE

Based on theories of family socialization and resilience, the aim of this study was to examine the synergistic protective role of maternal knowledge and mother-child cohesion in buffering the effect of stressful life events on NSSI in father-absent left-behind adolescents.

METHODS

This study used two-wave longitudinal data. The analytical sample included 673 adolescents (Mage = 13.47 ± 1.11 years, 48 % male) who were enlisted from 4 junior high schools in rural China. Respondents completed questionnaires on stressful life events, parental knowledge, parent-child cohesion, and NSSI at two-time points.

RESULTS

The effects of stressful life events on NSSI were significant in father-absent left-behind adolescents. Additionally, maternal knowledge moderated the associations between stressful life events and NSSI in father-absent left-behind adolescents. Moreover, maternal knowledge and mother-child cohesion were found to play synergistic protective roles in the relationship between stressful life events and NSSI. In father-absent left-behind adolescents, only high maternal knowledge and high-quality mother-child cohesion could eliminate the negative effect of stressful life events on NSSI.

CONCLUSION

The findings underscore the synergistic protective roles of maternal knowledge and mother-child cohesion in buffering the negative effect of stressful life events on NSSI in father-absent left-behind adolescents. Both maternal knowledge and mother-child cohesion should be considered in interventions aimed at reducing NSSI in these adolescents.

Effects of physical exercise on adolescent short video addiction: A moderated mediation model

Objective

To discuss the effects of physical exercise (PE) on adolescent short video addiction (SVA) and analyze the mediating effects of self-control (SC) and the moderating effects of the cumulative ecological risk (CER), aiming to provide theoretical support for PE relative to adolescent SVA, investigate the underlying mechanisms of the effects of PE.

Methods

The Physical Activity Rating Scale-3, Problematic TikTok Use Scale, Self-Control Scale, and Cumulative Ecological Risk Scale were used to survey 756 adolescents in Chongqing and Chengdu, China. SPSS was used to construct a research model by conducting reliability, confirmatory factor, common method bias, and AMOS analyses.

Results

PE was significantly and negatively related to adolescent SVA (β = -0.30, p < 0.01). SC served as a partial mediator between PE and adolescent SVA, the direct and indirect effect values are -0.304 and -0.167 respectively, showing that SC negatively predicted the relationship between the two variables. The CER moderated the effect of PE (t = -11.679, p < 0.001) and SC (t = -15.069, p < 0.001) on adolescent SVA.

Conclusion

PE mitigates and moderates adolescent SVA through the mediating effect of SC and the moderating effect of CER.

Gendered Parenting: Maternal Son Preference and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Early Adolescents

This study focused on the nuanced phenomenon of gendered parenting by exploring how maternal son preference is associated with depressive symptoms among Chinese early adolescents. Focusing on 1093 junior high school students from a relatively affluent city in Western China, this study examined the mediating roles of mother-child attachment and father-child attachment as well as the moderating role of school connectedness in the relationship between maternal son preference and depressive symptoms. The results revealed a noteworthy positive correlation between maternal son preference and depressive symptoms among female adolescents, with no significant association observed in males. In addition, mother-child attachment and father-child attachment mediated the relationship between maternal son preference and girls' depressive symptoms, supporting the "spillover effect" and "crossover effect". Moreover, a moderation effect analysis indicated that a higher level of school connectedness can buffer the effect of maternal son preference on girls' depressive symptoms, while a lower level of school connectedness can enhance the effect of maternal son preference on girls' depressive symptoms. In addition, maternal son preference was negatively correlated with boys' depressive symptoms in relation to high school connectedness. These insights help enhance people's understanding of gendered parenting, emphasizing the enduring necessity of addressing son preference within the broader context of promoting gender equality.