The Longitudinal Mediating Effect of Emotion Regulation Strategies on the Reciprocal Relationship Between Parental...

Problematic internet use (PIU) becomes increasingly prevalent among rural Chinese adolescents. Previous studies have identified parental psychological control (PPC) and emotion regulation strategies as strong predictors of PIU. However, there is limited studies exploring the longitudinal dynamics between contextual and individual factors and PIU, which is crucial for developing culturally responsive interventions. Therefore, based on the Psychological Decompensation Hypothesis and the Child Effect Model, the present research aimed to investigate the reciprocal relationship between PPC and PIU and the function of emotion regulation strategies (i.e., cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) as mediating factors in the relationship through a three-wave longitudinal design.

One thousand six hundred and ninety-two students (M_age = 15.96; SD = 1.67; 54.6% females) from a Chinese secondary boarding school participated in the study. Three-wave cross-lagged panel models (CLPMs) were conducted to examine the reciprocal relationships between PPC and PIU, as well as the potential mediation role of emotion regulation strategies.

Results presented a reciprocal association between PPC and expressive suppression, whereas the bidirectional relationship between PIU and expressive suppression was not observed. Moreover, no reciprocal relationship was found in the link between cognitive reappraisal and PPC, as well as between cognitive reappraisal and PIU. The CLPMs also presented that expressive suppression at T2 significantly mediated the relationship between PPC at T1 and PIU at T3.

The study underscores the importance of considering both negative parenting influences and students' emotion regulation strategies in informing PIU interventions for rural Chinese adolescents.