PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS, SCREEN TIME AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING IN ADOLESCENTS

Abstract

A cross-sectional study was carried out to investigate if parent-child relationships are associated with screen time and psychological well-being in adolescents. The hypotheses were: there is likely to be a significant relationship between parent-child relationship and psychological well-being and screen time is likely to act as a moderator between parent-child relationship and psychological well-being in adolescents. The sample comprised adolescents (N=120) recruited from public sector schools of Lahore. Assessment measures included parent-adolescent relationship scale (Hair, 2005), screen time addiction questionnaire (Singer, 2006), and psychological well-being scale (Ryff, 1995). Correlation analysis, independent sample t-test and hierarchical regression analysis were used to test the hypotheses. The findings revealed that parent child relationship and screen time were significant predictors of psychological well-being in adolescents. Furthermore, screen time was a significant moderator between the parent-child relationship and psychological well-being. Lastly, significant gender differences were reported in psychological wellbeing, as boys reported better psychological wellbeing as compared to girls. The findings highlighted the need to focus on improving the quality of parent-child relationship that may consequently decrease screen time and increase the psychological well-being of adolescents.