Parenting in the digital age: A PLS-SEM analysis of parental grit, self-regulation, and positive parenting practices as mediators between emotional distress and digital negligence
Children and Youth Services Review, cilt.189, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 189
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.109181
- Dergi Adı: Children and Youth Services Review
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Child Development & Adolescent Studies, CINAHL, EBSCO Education Source, Education Abstracts, Educational research abstracts (ERA), Psycinfo, Public Affairs Index, Social Sciences Abstracts, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Education Source Ultimate (EBSCO)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Digital negligence, Parental grit, Parental stress, Parenting, Self-regulation
- Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Emotional distress significantly impacts parents’ behavior towards children, causing a shift from positive to adverse parenting practices. In the digital age, this frequently results in digital negligence, where parents’ inadequate monitoring of their children’s online activities exposes the latter to risks and impedes their emotional and behavioral development. Therefore, in order to promote a healthy parent- child relationship, it is essential to identify the factors that contribute to the impact of stress on digital neglect. In this context, the present study explores the mediating roles of self-regulation and parental grit in the relationship between parental emotional stress and digital neglect, as well as the serial mediating effect of positive parenting practices. The sample included a total of 346 parents (76% mothers) with a mean age of 39.65 ± 7.74 years old. The Parental Grit Scale was initially adapted to Turkish, and a serial mediation model was applied using PLS-SEM. The results revealed that emotional distress significantly predicts digital negligence. Furthermore, self-regulation and positive parenting practices were found to sequentially mediate the relationship between emotional distress and digital negligence. While the direct effect of parental grit on digital negligence was non-significant, positive parenting practices fully mediated this relationship. Taken together, the findings provide valuable insights about the roles of parental grit, self-regulation, and positive parenting practices and contribute to the current understanding of how emotional stress shapes parents’ attitudes towards their potential neglect in managing their children’s use of digital tools.