Problematic Digital Media Use and Behavioral Issues in Children with Special Needs: A Family Needs-Centered...

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Digital Media Studies
• Special Education

Background:

• Technological advancements necessitate understanding digital media's impact on children with special needs.
• Problematic digital media use, behavioral issues, and family support needs are significant concerns in this population.
• Variations in these factors based on disability type, parental education, and socioeconomic status (SES) require investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine problematic digital media use, behavioral problems, and family needs in children with special needs.
• To investigate differences in these variables by disability type, parental education, and SES.
• To explore correlations between problematic media use, behavioral problems, and family needs.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 357 parents of children with special needs in Türkiye.
• Data collection through parent-report questionnaires.
• Descriptive statistical analyses were employed to analyze the data.

Main Results:

• High prevalence of problematic digital media use, behavioral problems, and family needs identified.
• Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrated higher problematic media use and behavioral issues, with greater parental support needs.
• Lower problematic media use and behavioral problems were associated with higher parental education and SES.
• Significant positive correlations were found between problematic media use, behavioral problems, and family needs.

Conclusions:

• Findings suggest a link between guided digital media use and reduced behavioral difficulties in children with special needs.
• Enhancing family support systems may be a crucial intervention strategy.
• The study highlights the need for tailored interventions considering disability type and socioeconomic factors, while acknowledging data limitations for causal claims.