Mediating effect of internet addiction in the relationship between parenting styles and depressive symptoms in primary school students

PENG Chenyu; CHEN Shengnan; ZHANG Jiahui; TANG Qi; WANG Xiaofen

doi:10.11852/zgetbjzz2025-0885

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Chinese Journal of Child Health Care ›› 2026, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (9) : 985-990. DOI: 10.11852/zgetbjzz2025-0885

Child Mental Health and Emotional Problems

Mediating effect of internet addiction in the relationship between parenting styles and depressive symptoms in primary school students

PENG Chenyu, CHEN Shengnan, ZHANG Jiahui, TANG Qi, WANG Xiaofen

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Abstract

Objective To explore the relationships among parenting styles, internet addiction, and depressive symptoms in primary school students, so as to provide a theoretical basis for the prevention and intervention of depressive symptoms in this population. Methods A total of 769 students from two primary schools in Changsha were surveyed using stratified random sampling between April and June 2025.Assessments included the Depression Self-rating Scale for Children (DSRSC), Internet Addiction Test (IAT), and Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran (EMBU).SPSS 26.0 with PROCESS v4.1 macro (Model 4)was used to explore the role of mediation. Results Maternal over-interference/over-protection, paternal over-interference, paternal over-protection, as well as parental rejection/denial, punitive punishment, and favoritism were positively correlated with internet addiction in primary school students (P<0.05).Internet addiction was positively correlated with depressive symptoms (P<0.05).Conversely, parental emotional warmth and understanding were negatively correlated with depressive symptoms (P<0.05), while parental rejection/denial, punitive punishment, and paternal over-protection were positively correlated with depressive symptoms (P<0.05).Mediation analysis revealed that internet addiction played a significant mediating role in the relationships between maternal rejection/denial (effect size=0.054, 95%CI: 0.029 - 0.085), maternal punitive punishment (effect size=0.049, 95%CI: 0.026 - 0.079), paternal punitive punishment (effect size=0.017, 95%CI: 0.002 - 0.041), paternal rejection/denial (effect size=0.075, 95%CI: 0.041 - 0.117), and paternal over-protection (effect size=0.068, 95%CI: 0.036 - 0.105) and children's depressive symptoms. Conclusions Negative parenting styles are significantly associated with depressive symptoms in primary school students, with internet addiction acting as a partial mediator.These findings suggest that adopting positive parenting styles and fostering healthy internet use habits are crucial for improving mental health in primary school students.

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primary school students / parenting styles / depressive symptoms / internet addiction / mediating effect

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PENG Chenyu, CHEN Shengnan, ZHANG Jiahui, TANG Qi, WANG Xiaofen. Mediating effect of internet addiction in the relationship between parenting styles and depressive symptoms in primary school students[J]. Chinese Journal of Child Health Care. 2026, 34(9): 985-990 https://doi.org/10.11852/zgetbjzz2025-0885

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