Latent Profile Analysis of Problematic Smartphone Use and Parental Strategies: A Six-month Prospective Study

Yaniv Efrati, Hananel Rosenberg

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Problematic smartphone use (PSU) is an increasingly prevalent disorder among adolescents. We aimed to identify unique smartphone use profiles and examine whether different parental factors and adolescent smartphone use severity might explain these profiles. The sample comprised 1,187 Israeli families comprising mother/father/adolescent triads (48% boys, 51% girls; ages 14–18). Latent profile analysis identified three distinct profiles of smartphone use: “normative use” (n = 435), “mild problematic use” (n = 481), and “severe problematic use” (n = 271). Subsequent MANOVAs revealed that parents of children with a severe PSU profile reported the highest severity levels, lowest communication, and support provided to their adolescents, and greater tendencies toward restrictive and negative active mediation strategies. These findings were consistent with the adolescents’ perceptions. Fathers of children with a mild problematic use profile reported increased support-giving over a six-month period. The research provides a more individualized approach to understanding smartphone use among adolescents.

Original languageEnglish
Number of pages26
JournalInternational Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
DOIs
StateAccepted/In press - 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Keywords

  • Adolescent
  • Communication
  • Parental factors
  • Problematic smartphone use
  • Smartphone usage

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Latent Profile Analysis of Problematic Smartphone Use and Parental Strategies: A Six-month Prospective Study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this