Instrumental and Reactive Motives for Child-to-Parent Violence in the Context of Online Addictive Behaviors

Abstract Purpose This study examines the relationship between online addictive behaviors—specifically problematic internet use, gaming, and online gambling—and child-to-parent violence (CPV), a strong indicator of parental aggression. It also investigates how reactive and instrumental reasons for CPV serve as mediating mechanisms in this relationship. It was hypothesized that higher scores in problematic online behaviors would correlate with increased CPV, with reactive and instrumental reasons partially explaining this association. Methods The sample consisted of 1,304 adolescents aged 10 to 18 years ( M = 13.45) from six high schools in Bizkaia, Spain. Data were collected between October 2020 and June 2021 through an online questionnaire. Results Path analysis results showed significant positive relationships between problematic internet use and gaming behaviors and CPV as well as between problematic internet use and online gambling and both instrumental and reactive CPV reasons. Additionally, higher scores on both types of CPV reasons (reactive and instrumental) were associated with increased CPV. Bootstrapping analysis revealed that both reactive and instrumental reasons mediated the relationship between online addictive behaviors (problematic internet use and gambling) and CPV. Gender differences were observed, with the path from online gambling to instrumental reasons for CPV being stronger for girls. Conclusions These findings suggest that online behavioral addictions should be targeted in prevention and intervention programs to reduce the risk of CPV among adolescents. Furthermore, the reported instrumental and reactive motives highlight the complexity of CPV.