Parenting styles and suicidal probability of adolescents: the moderating role of social anxiety and smartphone addiction

Abstract Background Adolescence is a critical age for the development of mental health issues, with factors such as parenting styles, social anxiety, and smartphone addiction potentially influencing suicidal behaviors. However, the interplay between these factors and their combined effect on adolescents' suicidal probability remains underexplored. Aims This study aimed to examine the relationship between parenting styles and the suicidal probability of adolescents and the moderating roles of social anxiety and smartphone addiction. Methods A cross-sectional study design was employed with a sample of 105 adolescents (aged 15–18) attending the adolescent clinic of the psychiatry department at MXX University Hospital. Participants completed standardized self-report questionnaires assessing suicide probability, parenting styles, Liebowitz Social Anxiety , and The Problematic Use of Mobile Phones . Results The results indicated that negative parenting had a strong positive correlation with suicidal probability ( r = 0.773, p < 0.001). Conversely, positive parenting had a negative correlation, acting as a protective factor against suicidal probability. Smartphone addiction ( r = 0.772, p < 0.001) and social anxiety ( r = 0.214, p = 0.028) were also positively correlated with higher suicidal probability, suggesting that these are significant risk factors. In predicting suicidal probability, smartphone addiction was a significant positive predictor ( B = 0.032, p < 0.001, Beta = 0.772). Conclusions The study highlights the complex interactions between parenting styles, social anxiety, and smartphone addiction in predicting suicidal probability in adolescents. These findings suggest that interventions aimed at improving parenting strategies, managing social anxiety, and reducing smartphone addiction could play a crucial role in suicide prevention efforts for adolescents.