Mothers’ use of screens to keep young children busy: The role of marital conflict and household chaos

Official URL: https://risc01.sabanciuniv.edu/record=b2748991_(Table of contents)

Screen devices have become integrated into family environments very rapidly. Although there is a growing concern over screen use among young children, little is known about the antecedents of instrumental use of screen devices to fulfill specific parental needs (e.g., keep children busy, calm the children down). Past studies suggest that parents use screens more to distract their young children when they are under stress. This study aimed to examine the role of two critical stressors, household chaos and marital conflict, in using screen devices to keep children busy above the effect of child temperament. A large sample of mothers (N = 2230) of 0- to 36-month-olds (1145 boys, 1085 girls) in Turkey completed the measures of child temperament, marital conflict, household chaos, and parental screen use to keep children busy (PSUC). The results of the hierarchical regression analyses revealed that household chaos and marital conflict uniquely and positively predicted PSUC for both boys and girls above and beyond the effect of child temperament and the critical child and parent demographic characteristics. Furthermore, explanatory analyses revealed one significant interaction effect between temperamental emotionality and household chaos in predicting PSUC. The interaction pattern suggested that children with high emotionality are exposed to less screen devices than those with low emotionality in high chaotic environment. Considering the adverse effects of screen use on young children, policies and parenting practices that can reduce screen time of parents in chaotic and conflicting settings were discussed.