Parent–child gender effect in the associations among problematic internet use, parent–adolescent conflict, and academic engagement

Abstract Objective In this study, we explored whether and how the indirect effects of father– and mother–adolescent conflict between PIU and academic engagement differ between female and male adolescents. Background Problematic internet use (PIU) is an important health issue for adolescents. It has been found to be related to severe impairment in their interpersonal relationships (e.g., parent–child relationships) and academic outcomes (e.g., academic engagement), particularly during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Method A national survey was conducted in diverse regions of the Chinese mainland, and a total of 2,688 adolescents between 10 and 19 years old (52.8% girls, M age = 14.06 ± 2.47) participated in the study. Correlation and mediation analyses were conducted and were stratified by gender. Results Multigroup analysis indicated that PIU was similarly and positively associated with father– and mother–adolescent conflict in adolescent boys and girls, whereas only father–adolescent conflict was negatively related to boys’ academic engagement and only mother–adolescent conflict was negatively related to girls’ academic engagement. Conclusion These results support the same‐gender matching model in parent–adolescent conflict and expand the same‐gender effect to Chinese culture. Implications These findings have important implications for understanding the mechanisms of how adolescent PIU impedes academic engagement through parent–adolescent conflict in father–son, father–daughter, mother–son, and mother–daughter dyads, indicating that family interventions focused on father–son and mother–daughter relationships may largely facilitate adolescents’ academic engagement.