Child Health Nurs Res.  2015 Apr;21(2):107-114. 10.4094/chnr.2015.21.2.107.

Relationships Among Preschoolers' Smartphone Addiction Tendency, Their Problem Behaviors, and Parenting Efficacy of Their Mothers

• Lee HJ
• Chae SM
• Bang KS
• Choi H

• KMID: 2271211
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4094/chnr.2015.21.2.107

Abstract

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships among preschoolers' smartphone addiction tendency, problem behaviors, and parenting efficacy of the mothers of these children.
METHODS
A cross-sectional, descriptive study design was used with self-administered questionnaires. A total of 83 mothers of preschoolers aged 4-6 years and their preschool teachers from a kindergarten participated in the study.
RESULTS
Mean daily time spent by the preschoolers on smartphones was about 45 minutes/day. About 40% spent more than 60 minutes/day on smartphones. The majority (69.8%) used smartphones without adult supervision. The level of smartphone addiction tendency among the preschoolers was 1.52+/-0.45 on a 4-point scale. Preschoolers whose mothers use smartphones for more than 60 minutes/day showed a higher level of smartphone addiction tendency than preschoolers whose mothers use smartphones for less than 60 minutes/day. Also smartphone addiction tendency among preschoolers had a positive correlation with hyperactive-distractible behavior (r=.228, p=.038) and a negative correlation with parenting efficacy of their mothers (r=-.299, p=.006).
CONCLUSION
Our findings demonstrated that preschooler's smartphone addiction tendency is significantly associated with hyperactive-distractible behaviors of the children and low parenting efficacy among their mothers. Therefore well-designed care plans for these populations should be provided to decrease smartphone addiction tendency.

Keyword

Preschool children; Cell phones; Behavior; Parenting; Self-Efficacy

MeSH Terms

Adult
Cellular Phone
Child
Child, Preschool
Humans
Mothers*
Organization and Administration
Parenting*
Parents*
Smartphone
Surveys and Questionnaires