Effects of Parental Media Involvement and Emotional Responsiveness on Child’s Television Consumption

Cullnan, Marisa Grace; Saltzman, Jaclyn

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/99965 Copy

Description

Title

Effects of Parental Media Involvement and Emotional Responsiveness on Child’s Television Consumption

Author(s)

• Cullnan, Marisa Grace
• Saltzman, Jaclyn

Contributor(s)

Bost, Kelly K.

Issue Date

2018-04

Keyword(s)

• Human Development & Family Studies
• Parenting
• Media
• Emotional Response
• Mediation
• Children

Abstract

Parents influence children’s socioemotional development by responding appropriately to children’s negative emotions and engaging in warm interpersonal interactions. However, parents are less attentive and engaged—and may be less responsive—when in the presence of a television. Therefore, we aim to examine whether parent’s responses to children’s negative emotions may influence media-related parenting practices and children’s media consumption. A subsample of mothers (n = 122) in the longitudinal STRONG Kids Panel Study were surveyed when children were 37 months (SD = 6.9) and 51 months (SD = 8.1) old. Minutes the child spent watching television and parent media involvement were measured at Waves 1 and 2. Parent emotional responses were measured at Wave 1. Mothers’ Distress reactions to children’s negative emotions was correlated with television consumption in Wave 1 (r = .210, p = .020), but not in Wave 2. Coviewing at Wave 1 was correlated with television consumption in Wave 1 (r = .246, p = .006) and in Wave 2 (r = .191, p = .035). In mediation analyses, mothers’ Problem-Focused responses to children’s negative emotions were significantly directly associated with children’s television consumption (B [SE] = -30.1 [14.1], p = .03, 95% CI = [-57.91, -2.22), but there were no significant indirect effects via media-related parenting (B [SE] = 5.95 [5.73], 95% CI = [-3.62, 19.14]). Parents’ unsupportive emotional responses to children’s negative emotions, as well as Coviewing media with children, were correlated with more child media consumption. In regression analyses, Coviewing (β = 0.36) had a larger effect on child media consumption than Distress responses (β = 0.15). Future research should explore the longitudinal impact of different parenting behaviors on emotional responses and child media consumption.

Type of Resource

image

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/99965

Sponsor(s)/Grant Number(s)

• Agriculture and Food Research Initiative of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Illinois Transdisciplinary Obesity Prevention Program grant
• 2011-67001-30101
• Illinois Council for Agriculture Research
• University of Illinois Health and Wellness Initiative
• USDA Hatch Program to Barbara Fiese
• 793-328

Copyright and License Information

• Copyright 2018 Marisa Grace Cullnan
• Copyright 2018 Jaclyn Saltzman

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