ArticleBMC public health2025
Maternal adverse childhood experiences were associated with early screen exposure and prolonged daily screen time in preschool children.
Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Screen exposure in relation to cool and hot executive functions in preschoolers: parenting processes as mediators and parental growth mindset as moderator.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Are Maternal Adverse Childhood Experiences Associated with Their Preschool Children's Sleep Disruptions? Longitudinal Mediation Through Mothers' Depressive Symptoms and Children's Screen Time.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMaternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked to negative outcomes in their children. However, limited research has explored their impacts on screen use habits in preschool children. This study aimed to examine the associations of maternal ACEs with early screen exposure and prolonged daily screen time in preschool children whose mothers were their primary caregivers.
methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted involving 3,131 mother-child dyads in China. Twelve maternal ACEs were assessed using the Adverse Childhood Experiences-International Questionnaire and subsequently categorized into 0, 1, 2, 3, and ≥ 4 ACEs. Early onset of screen use was defined as exposure to screens before the age of 2 years, while prolonged daily screen time was defined as ≥ 1 h/day for children aged 5 years or younger and ≥ 2 h/day for those older than 5 years. Logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the associations between maternal ACEs and children's screen use behaviors. Stratified analyses and tests for interaction were carried out based on children's age, gender, single-child status, and maternal age.
resultsAmong the children included, 51.6% were boys, and the mean age was 4.6 (SD: 1.0) years. Approximately 11.6% of the children were exposed to screens before the age of 2 years and 34.5% exceeded the recommended daily screen time. A higher cumulative number of maternal ACEs was associated with a greater likelihood of both early onset of screen use and prolonged daily screen time, in a dose-response pattern. Specifically, children of mothers with four or more ACEs had increased odds of early screen exposure (OR = 3.871, 95% CI: 2.570-5.831) and prolonged daily screen time (OR = 2.022, 95% CI: 1.514-2.701). These associations remained consistent across various subgroups. However, child or maternal characteristics did not moderate these associations.
conclusionsOur study identified maternal ACEs as a potential risk factor associated with children's screen use habits. Further research is needed to develop interventions that support both ACE-exposed mothers and their children to reduce the risk of inappropriate screen use habits during early childhood.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.