The Effects of Maternal Attachment on Media Addiction among Elementary School Students: Focusing on Mediating Effects of Paternal Attachment

This study aimed to examine whether paternal attachment mediates the association between maternal attachment and media device addiction among 1,904 households of elementary school fourth graders from the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC). Using Baron and Kenny’s (1986) mediation procedure, results showed that maternal attachment positively predicted paternal attachment and directly reduced media addiction. When both were entered, the direct effect of maternal attachment on addiction decreased, and paternal attachment exerted a significant negative effect, indicating partial mediation. However, in the full model, only paternal alienation and trust functioned as partial mediators, whereas communication did not exhibit a significant mediation effect. These findings suggest that maternal attachment may curb children’s problematic media use indirectly by enhancing fathers’ emotional support, specifically by reducing feelings of alienation and fostering trust. Implications call for family‐based interventions that bolster paternal emotional engagement in addiction prevention.