BIO

Hello, my name is Carsyn and I am a senior majoring in psychology at Florida State University. I plan to further my education with the goal of attending graduate school for a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. I am a research intern on the SMAHRTeam and am interested in the connection between mental health of adolescents and social media.

Associations between Parental Technology Rules, Adolescent Technology Interactions, and Mental Wellbeing

Abstract

Over three-quarters of adolescents use social media, and some previous studies have found associations between social media use and mental wellbeing outcomes among adolescents. The role of parents in influencing adolescent technology interactions and mental wellbeing remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to understand associations between parental technology rules, adolescent technology interactions, and mental wellbeing. A secondary analysis will be conducted using data from a cross-sectional survey. Adolescent-parent dyads were recruited through Qualtrics panels. Adolescents and parents completed separate survey sections including the Adolescents’ Digital Technology Interactions (ADTI) scale (parents and adolescents), the Internet-Specific Parenting Practices (ISPP) scale (parents only), the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being (SWEMW) scale (adolescents only), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9; adolescents only). Two regression models will be run where the first model will have ISPP treated as the predictor, ADTI as the mediator and SWEMW as the outcome. The second model will treat ISPP as the predictor, ADTI as the mediator and PHQ-9 as the outcome. It is hypothesized that stricter tech rules will be associated with greater importance placed on adolescent technology interactions and poorer mental wellbeing. Findings will inform pediatric providers guidance about mental health risks with parental technology rules.

Keywords: adolescents, social media, mental health