Screen time and preschoolers’ social-emotional profiles: The mediating role of parenting stress

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Sunday 11:45 am
  In Poster Session: Early Education and Child Development

Abstract

Guided by the sociocultural ecological framework, this study examines how screen time influences preschoolers’ social-emotional (SE) development through the mediating role of parenting stress. Using NSCH data on children aged 3–6, we employed latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify distinct SE profiles. Higher screen time, minoritized ethnic status, poverty, and disability status were associated with increased parenting stress, which in turn predicted lower likelihood of membership in adaptive SE profiles. Mediation analyses confirmed parenting stress as a significant pathway linking screen time to SE outcomes. Findings highlight how structural disadvantage and digital demands shape early developmental trajectories, underscoring the need for policy and practice efforts that support families in high-risk contexts.

Authors

• Fa Zhang, Open University of China

• Yuyan Xia, University of Kentucky

• Chin-Chih Chen, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Yaoying Xu, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Jamie L. Cage, Virginia Commonwealth University