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Juan Li,1 Yuanyuan Zhai,1 Bowen Xiao,2 Xiaoying Xia,3 Jingyao Wang,1 Yanan Zhao,1 Li Ye,1 Yan Li1 1Shanghai Institute of Early Childhood Education, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Psychology Department, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; 3School of Early Childhood Education, Shanghai Normal University Tianhua College, Shanghai, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yan Li, Shanghai Institute of Early Childhood Education, Shanghai Normal University, 100 Guilin Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, Email liyan@shnu.edu.cnIntroduction: Maternal distress increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, significantly impacting children’s media use. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence mechanism of maternal COVID-19 distress on preschoolers’ problematic media us through a moderated mediation model; specifically, we examined the possible mediating roles of parenting stress and negative instrumental use of media in parenting and the moderating role of supportive co-parenting.Methods: An online survey was conducted in a sample of 1357 children (Mage = 4.01, SD = 1.06; 47.4% boys) and their parents from six public kindergartens in Shanghai, China. The mothers provided information by completing measures on their levels of distress related to COVID-19, parenting stress levels, digital parenting practices, and perception of supportive co-parenting from their partners. Additionally, both parents rated their children’s problematic media use.Results: (1) maternal COVID-19 distress was significantly and positively related to children’s problematic media use; (2) this relationship was sequentially mediated by parenting stress and parents’ negative instrumental use of media in parenting; and (3) supportive co-parenting moderated the serial mediation path by reducing the effect of maternal COVID-19 distress on parenting stress.Conclusion: The findings provide some support and guidance for preventing children’s problematic media use and enhancing parental adaptation during the COVID-19 pandemic or in potentially adverse situations.Keywords: maternal COVID-19 distress, children’s problematic media use, parenting stress, negative instrumental use of media in parenting, supportive co-parenting |
