Techonoference and Problematic Smartphone Use: The Roles of Attachment and Environmental Sensitivity

The present study examined the potential mediation effects of parental attachment and peer attachment, and the moderating effect of environmental sensitivity between parental technoference and adolescents’ problematic smartphone use. A sample of 908 junior high school students ( M age = 13.41 years, SD = 0.76) anonymously completed questionnaires. The results revealed that : (1) both mother and father attachment could mediate the pathway from parental technoference to adolescents’ problematic smartphone use; (2) adolescent’s environmental sensitivity moderated the direct and indirect pathway between parental technoference, mother attachment, and adolescents’ problematic smartphone use. Specifically, adolescents with higher environmental sensitivity had greater problematic smartphone use when they experienced greater parental technoference. Moreover, adolescents with lower environmental sensitivity exhibited less problematic smartphone use when they had better mother-child attachment. The present study revealed a complex interplay between family and individual factors that contribute to adolescents’ problematic smartphone use.