Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Dec 1;16(4):55-71.
doi: 10.11621/pir.2023.0404. eCollection 2023.

The Relationship of Mobile-Based Social Network Addiction and Family Communication Patterns, with Behavioral Problems in Secondary School Students: The Mediating Role of Emotional Self-Regulation

Mohadeseh Fasihi  1 , Mohammad Rostami  1
Affiliations

The Relationship of Mobile-Based Social Network Addiction and Family Communication Patterns, with Behavioral Problems in Secondary School Students: The Mediating Role of Emotional Self-Regulation

Mohadeseh Fasihi et al. Psychol Russ. .

Abstract

Background: New technologies offer endless possibilities for students and schools, but as the use of smartphones increases, psychological and behavioral problems may also increase.

Objective: To investigate the relationship of mobile-based social network addiction and family communication patterns on the one hand, and behavioral problems in students on the other, with a focus on the mediating role of emotional self-regulation.

Design: This study used a quantitative approach and a cross-sectional design. The participants were 384 students (female/male: 226/168; mean age: 16 ± 1.98) in secondary high schools in Tehran in the academic year 2022-2023. The students were selected using convenience sampling. The data were collected online using the Revised Family Communication Pattern Scale (1994), Mobile-Based Social Network Addiction Questionnaire (2016), Child Behavior Checklist - Adolescent Version (2001), and the Affective Style Questionnaire (2010). The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with SPSS-25 and AMOS-24 statistical software.

Results: The study showed that emotional self-regulation plays a mediating role in the relationship between mobile-based social network addiction and internalized and externalized behavioral problems (P ≤ .05). The indirect effect of conversation orientation on internalized and externalized behavioral problems mediated by emotional self-regulation was not significant, but the indirect effect of conformity orientation on internalized and externalized behavioral problems with the mediation of emotional self-regulation was significant (P ≤ .05).

Conclusion: Based on the findings, it is suggested that school officials and parents should develop emotional self-regulation and communication skills in students and parenting skills in their parents to prevent and reduce potential harm such as internet addiction and behavioral problems in students.

Keywords: behavioral problems; emotional self-regulation; family communication patterns; mobile-based social network addiction.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The hypothesized research model
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
The adjusted model with standardized coe( cients
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Achenbach, T.M. (1991). Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist/4-18 and 1991 profile. University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry.
    1. Albursan, I.S., Al. Qudah, M.F., Al-Barashdi, H.S., Bakhiet, S. F., Darandari, E., Al-Asqah, S.S., ... & Albursan, H.I. (2022). Smartphone addiction among university students in light of the COVID-19 pandemic: Prevalence, relationship to academic procrastination, quality of life, gender and educational stage. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(16), 10439. 10.3390/ijerph191610439 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Prentice-Hall, Inc.
    1. Bruni, O., Malorgio, E., Doria, M., Finotti, E., Spruyt, K., Melegari, M.G., ... & Ferri, R. (2022). Changes in sleep patterns and disturbances in children and adolescents in Italy during the Covid-19 outbreak. Sleep Medicine, 91, 166–174. 10.1016/j.sleep.2021.02.003 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Campbell-Salome, G., Rauscher, E.A., & Freytag, J. (2019). Patterns of communicating about family health history: Exploring differences in family types, age, and sex. Health Education & Behavior, 46(5), 809–817. 10.1177/1090198119853002 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources