Father Phubbing and Adolescents’ Depressive Symptoms: The Roles of Relationship Satisfaction and Need to Belong

Recent research indicates that parental phubbing is a risk factor for adolescents' depressive symptoms; however, limited research has examined the association between father phubbing and adolescents' depressive symptoms. The present study tested the association between father phubbing and adolescents' depressive symptoms. Furthermore, the mediating and moderating effects underlying this link were examined. A total of 1319 participants (39.5% were boys, mean age = 16.15 years) completed measures regarding father phubbing, father-child relationship satisfaction, depressive symptoms, and the need to belong. By using a two-wave longitudinal design, the results showed that father-child relationship satisfaction mediated the association between father phubbing and adolescents' depressive symptoms, and the need to belong exacerbated the association between father phubbing and father-child relationship satisfaction. Limitations and implications of this study were elaborated.