Poster #101 - Associations of Maternal Emotion Regulation and Mothers’ and Toddlers’ Screen Use

• In Event: Poster Session 10

Abstract

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no TV or entertainment screen media for children under two years (AAP, 2016). However, U.S. toddlers consume 49 minutes of screen media daily (Rideout, 2020), which has increased further throughout the pandemic (Hartshorne et al., 2021). Prior studies have found parents’ screen use as an important predictor of children’s screen use (Holmgren et al., 2022). Although researchers posit that parents may use digital media to regulate their emotional states (Waldey et al, 2020), no study to date directly tested how parents’ emotion regulation is associated with media use for themselves and their children. According to Gross’s process model (Gross, 1998; 2002), different emotion regulation strategies are expected to bring distinct affective, cognitive, and social consequences. In this study, we examined whether mothers’ two emotional regulation strategies (expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal) were related to toddlers’ screen use and whether this association was mediated by mothers’ screen use.

Mothers of toddlers, 18-36 months (N = 296) completed an online survey, reporting on maternal emotional regulation and parent and child screen use. Participants identified themselves as white (63%), Black or African American (12%), Asian or Pacific Islander (7%), Native American or Alaska Native (1%), and other (17%). To assess maternal emotional regulation, mothers completed the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Gross & John, 2003), rating their tendency to use two strategies: expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal. Both maternal and child screen use were measured as the frequency with which each engaged in screen media activities, using a 10-point scale (has never done this - all the time). Screen use was further divided into non-interactive (e.g., video viewing) and interactive (e.g., video chat) categories. Mothers also reported child sex, child age, and family income.

Table 1 presents correlations. Model covariates (child sex, child age, income) were retained when correlated with variables of interest. For non-interactive screen use, mediation analysis revealed that maternal non-interactive screen use mediated the association of mothers’ expressive suppression to toddlers’ non-interactive screen use (Figure 1a). For interactive screen use, maternal interactive screen use was not a significant mediator, but there was a significant direct effect of maternal expressive suppression on toddlers’ interactive screen use (Figure 1b). Mothers’ cognitive reappraisal was not significantly associated with any variables of interest, and there was no direct or indirect effect of cognitive reappraisal on child screen use regardless of interactivity (Figure 1c and 1d).

Our findings have implications for guidelines for parents on media use. Higher maternal expressive suppression was related to increased non-interactive screen use in toddlers through such use in mothers. Thus, for mothers who use non-interactive screen media to handle emotional challenges, providing alternative coping strategies and resources would be an important initial step toward healthy media habits for parents and, in turn, their young children. However, mediated paths were not observed with cognitive appraisal and with interactive media use, supporting a need for a more nuanced understanding considering both individual differences and different media experiences as opposed to a one-size-fits-all approach.

Authors

• Mahmut Sami Gurdal, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
  Presenting Author

• Koeun Choi, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

• Eunkyung Shin, Pennsylvania State University, University Park

• Jisun Kim, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

• Shuqi Yu, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

• Cynthia L. Smith, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University