Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40564534›Full record

ArticleBehavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland)2025

Family Dynamics and Digital Distractions: A Survey-Based Study on How Co-Parenting and Parental Phubbing Shape Preschoolers' Media Use.

Yuying Zhang, Kuai Song, Gengfeng Niu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Yuying ZhangKey Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430079, China.ORCID 0009-0005-7306-7462
Kuai SongKey Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430079, China.ORCID 0009-0006-6067-6653
Gengfeng NiuKey Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430079, China.ORCID 0000-0002-3312-5200

Funding

Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities CCNU24ZZ039Guiding Project of Scientific Research Program of Hubei Provincial Department of Education B2023484Key Project of Hubei Provincial Education Science Planning 2024GA106National Social Science Foundation Program 22FHSB016
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In the current information era, even preschool children are unable to withstand the "digital flood". However, excessive exposure to electronic screens not only negatively impacts various aspects of children's health and adaptation, but also harms family relationships. Based on family systems theory, social-cognitive learning theory, and attachment theory, this study examines the relationships between co-parenting and preschoolers' problematic media use, as well as the underlying mechanism-the mediating role of parental phubbing and the moderating effect of secure attachment. A sample of 610 parents of preschoolers from three kindergartens in central China completed validated scales, including the Co-Parenting Scale, Parental Phubbing Scale, Children's Electronic Media Use Questionnaire, and Secure Attachment Dimension of the Waters Attachment Q-sort. A moderated mediation model was tested using the PROCESS macro with bootstrap procedures. The results showed that, after controlling for the subjective family socioeconomic status and parental education level, (1) co-parenting was negatively associated with preschoolers' problematic media use; (2) parental phubbing significantly mediated the relationship between co-parenting and preschoolers' problematic media use; (3) secure attachment significantly moderated both the direct relation between co-parenting and the preschoolers' problematic media use and the mediating effect of parental phubbing (the relation between parental phubbing and children's problematic media use); furthermore, both of these effects were more pronounced in children with lower levels of secure attachment. These findings extend family systems and attachment theories by elucidating mechanisms underlying early media behaviors. Practically, interventions should promote collaborative co-parenting and reduce parental phubbing to mitigate children's problematic media use, while fostering secure attachment to buffer digital risks.

Indexed as

co-parentingparental phubbingpreschoolersproblematic media usesecure attachment

Identifiers

PMID40564534
PMCPMC12189302

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Registered trials

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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.