The relationship between problematic short-form video use and problem behaviours in Chinese preschool children: a moderated mediation model

This study aims to examine the association between problematic short-form video use (PSFVU) and problem behaviours in Chinese preschool children, and to analyse the roles of emotion regulation ability (ERA), emotion lability (EL), and parental burnout (PB) in this association. Parents of 742 children (377 boys, Mage = 4.79) completed a parent-adapted Problematic Short-Form Video Use Scale, the Emotion Regulation Checklist, the Simplified Chinese Version of the Parental Burnout Scale, and the Problem Behaviour Scale. The results showed that: (1) higher levels of PSFVU were associated with higher levels of problem behaviours in preschool children; (2) PSFVU was indirectly associated with higher levels of problem behaviours through lower ERA and higher EL; (3) PB moderated the associations between PSFVU and both ERA and EL, and the indirect associations through both emotion-related variables varied significantly as a function of PB, whereas PB did not significantly moderate the direct association between PSFVU and problem behaviours. This study identifies a pattern of associations linking PSFVU, ERA, EL, PB, and problem behaviours, providing preliminary evidence for future longitudinal and multi-informant research and guidance for family- and school-based media education practices.