Mediating role of self-control in the association between perceived parenting attitudes and smartphone addiction among middle school students

This study aimed to examine the association of perceived parenting attitudes with smartphone addiction among adolescents, focusing on self-control’s mediating role. A survey assessing positive and negative perceived parenting attitudes, self-control, and smartphone addiction levels was administered among 973 middle school students. Among the respondents, 25.28% were identified as being at risk for smartphone addiction. The at-risk group reported more negative perceived parenting attitudes and lower self-control than the general group. Multi-group path analysis revealed that negative perceived parenting attitudes significantly predicted smartphone addiction through self-control in both groups, whereas the indirect effect of positive perceived parenting attitudes was not significant. Positive perceived parenting attitudes showed a negative association with smartphone addiction in the multi-group model; the path did not differ significantly between groups. Overall, the findings highlight the mediating role of self-control in the association between negative perceived parenting attitudes and smartphone addiction, suggesting that interventions targeting self-control may be relevant for adolescents across risk levels.