Problematic Media Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Children’s and Parents’ Mental Health

• In Event: Children’s Problematic Media Use and Mental Health Concerns During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic has created unique stressors for families with young children. In particular, families are faced with not only health and safety concerns, but also economic hardship and the lack of childcare resources to support their child’s development. Indeed, recent research has indicated that mental health concerns among adults and children have increased markedly during the pandemic (Czeisler et al., 2020). Coinciding with an exacerbation in mental health concerns is an increase in children’s digital media use (Parents Together, 2020). Based on the Interactional Theory of Childhood Problematic Media Use (Domoff, Borgen, & Radesky, 2020), parental stress and child mental health concerns likely precede the emergence of problematic media use, specifically dysregulated use of digital media (e.g., tablets, gaming). The purpose of this study was to examine how children’s and parents’ mental health concerns associated with problematic media use during the pandemic. We also sought to examine whether parental social support moderated the associations between mental health concerns and problematic media use during the pandemic.

Method
Parents were recruited from existing participant registries in Detroit, Michigan. Parents included in this sample (n = 126) had a child enrolled in school (elementary to middle school; Mage = 8.57, SD = 2.58; 61.9% boys) during Spring 2020. Parents were primarily mothers (n = 118 [93.7%]) and the majority of the sample reported their race/ethnicity was Black/African American (n = 81; 64.3%), with 17 (13.5%) participants identifying as White. Approximately 73% of the sample received Medicaid. Parents’ mental health and social support were measured via PROMIS scales (Pilkonis et al., 2011). Children’s mental health concerns (i.e., internalizing and externalizing symptoms) was measured by the Pediatric Symptoms Checklist. We assessed problematic media use through the Problematic Media Use Measure (Domoff et al., 2019). In linear regressions (controlling for gender, age, Medicaid recipient status, and COVID-19 impact on family income, food access, and health care) were conducted to examine how children’s and parents’ mental health symptoms associated with children’s problematic media use. Hayes’ PROCESS macro (2018) was conducted to test for moderation of these associations by household routines and parental social support.

Results
Bivariate correlations indicated that children’s problematic media use associated with higher parental depression (r = .45, p< .01), higher parental anxiety (r = .44, p< .01), higher children’s internalizing symptoms (r = .34, p< .01), and higher children’s externalizing symptoms (r = .44, p< .01). Linear regressions supported our hypotheses: greater mental health concerns in parents and children associated with higher levels of problematic media use (see Table 1 and Table 2). Moderation analyses did not support our hypotheses in that parents’ social support did not moderate the associations between mental health symptoms and problematic media use.

Discussion
Mental health concerns in parents and children predicted greater problematic media use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Though limited by cross-sectional design, our results suggest that mental health clinicians may seek to screen for problematic use of digital media and promote regulated use, particularly among families with parent and/or child mental health symptoms.

Authors

• Sarah E. Domoff, Central Michigan University
  Presenting Author

• Lucy McGoron, Wayne State University
  Non-Presenting Author