Parental Phubbing and preschool children’s behavioral adjustment: Multiple mediating pathways

Abstract

In the digital age, family interactions are increasingly influenced by the pervasive presence of technology, and preschool children are particularly sensitive to the emotional climate within the family. Guided by emotion socialization theory and attachment theory, the present study investigated the association between parental phubbing and parent-perceived behavioral adjustment in preschool children. Special attention was given to the mediating roles of parental meta-emotion and parent-perceived preschool children’s self-esteem, as well as the potential sequential mediation pathway linking these variables. The sample comprised 408 Chinese preschool children aged 5–6 years and their parents. All variables in the study were assessed through parent-report measures. Parents completed anonymous questionnaires assessing their children’s behavioral adjustment and self-esteem. Mediation analyses were conducted using PROCESS 4.2 to examine both independent and sequential indirect effects. The findings revealed that parental meta-emotion and parent-perceived child self-esteem each independently mediated the relationship between parental phubbing and children’s behavioral adjustment. In addition, a significant sequential mediation pathway was identified, indicating that variations in parental emotional awareness and responsiveness were associated with differences in children’s self-esteem, which in turn were linked to behavioral outcomes as perceived by parents. These results highlight the important role of parental emotional functioning in the context of digitally mediated family interactions. Moreover, the finding emphasizes the significance of self-esteem as a key psychological factor reflecting children’s adjustment from the caregiver’s perspective. Overall, the study provides valuable insight into how frequent parental attention shifts toward digital devices may influence early child development. The findings also offer practical implications for designing interventions aimed at improving parent–child emotional communication and promoting positive behavioral adjustment in increasingly technology-rich home environments.