Parenting-Related Social Networking Site Use and Psychological Distress in Parents of Infants: Cross-sectional Study Exploring the Moderating Effects of Loneliness and Parenting Anxiety

Overview

Journal JMIR Pediatr Parent

Date 2024 Oct 11

PMID 39392705

Authors

Ryuta Onishi

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: In the digital age, social networking sites (SNSs) have revolutionized the approach to parenting. These platforms, widely used to access parenting information and support, affect parents both positively and negatively, with negative effects potentially increasing for those experiencing loneliness or anxiety.

Objective: This study examined the relationship between SNS use and psychological distress among parents of young children, controlling for the moderating effects of loneliness and parenting anxiety. We hypothesized that higher SNS use correlates to greater psychological distress, particularly among parents with elevated levels of loneliness or parenting anxiety.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey design using a closed web-based questionnaire was employed. Participants included 429 parents (205 mothers and 224 fathers) of children aged 0-3 years recruited through a web-based survey company in Japan. The majority of the participants were couples, with some living with extended family members. The sample also encompassed individuals in cohabiting partnerships and single parents. The survey included measures of psychological distress, loneliness, parenting anxiety, frequency of SNS use for parenting, and covariates. Analytical models to explain psychological distress included interactions between loneliness or parenting anxiety and SNS use, individually for both fathers and mothers.

Results: For mothers, a significant interaction effect was determined only between parenting anxiety and SNS use (b=0.247, SE 0.091; P=.008). Meanwhile, for fathers, significant interaction effects were observed for both loneliness (b=0.324, SE 0.127; P=.012) and parenting anxiety (b=0.144, SE 0.069; P=.038) with SNS use. A simple slope analysis for mothers indicated that SNS use was related to psychological distress only at higher levels of parenting anxiety (b=0.304, SE 0.090, β=.317; P<.001). Among fathers, SNS use was associated with psychological distress at higher levels of either parenting anxiety (b=0.330, SE 0.069, β=.346; P<.001) or loneliness (b=0.390, SE 0.098, β=.409; P<.001).

Conclusions: The study concluded that the relationship between SNS use and psychological distress among parents of young children is moderated by loneliness and parenting anxiety. The findings highlight the need for tailored approaches to help parents manage SNS use, particularly focusing on those with higher levels of loneliness and parenting anxiety. It is imperative that health professionals provide nuanced guidance to parents on SNS use, considering individual psychological factors and potential gender differences in the impact of SNSs on mental well-being.

References

Darwin Z, Galdas P, Hinchliff S, Littlewood E, McMillan D, McGowan L . Fathers' views and experiences of their own mental health during pregnancy and the first postnatal year: a qualitative interview study of men participating in the UK Born and Bred in Yorkshire (BaBY) cohort. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2017; 17(1):45. PMC: 5270346. DOI: 10.1186/s12884-017-1229-4. View

Lupton D . The use and value of digital media for information about pregnancy and early motherhood: a focus group study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2016; 16(1):171. PMC: 4950377. DOI: 10.1186/s12884-016-0971-3. View

Verduyn P, Lee D, Park J, Shablack H, Orvell A, Bayer J . Passive Facebook usage undermines affective well-being: Experimental and longitudinal evidence. J Exp Psychol Gen. 2015; 144(2):480-8. DOI: 10.1037/xge0000057. View

Liu Y, West S, Levy R, Aiken L . Tests of Simple Slopes in Multiple Regression Models with an Interaction: Comparison of Four Approaches. Multivariate Behav Res. 2017; 52(4):445-464. DOI: 10.1080/00273171.2017.1309261. View

Furukawa T, Kawakami N, Saitoh M, Ono Y, Nakane Y, Nakamura Y . The performance of the Japanese version of the K6 and K10 in the World Mental Health Survey Japan. Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2008; 17(3):152-8. PMC: 6878390. DOI: 10.1002/mpr.257. View

Moon R, Mathews A, Oden R, Carlin R . Mothers' Perceptions of the Internet and Social Media as Sources of Parenting and Health Information: Qualitative Study. J Med Internet Res. 2019; 21(7):e14289. PMC: 6647756. DOI: 10.2196/14289. View

Sakurai R, Nemoto Y, Mastunaga H, Fujiwara Y . Who is mentally healthy? Mental health profiles of Japanese social networking service users with a focus on LINE, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. PLoS One. 2021; 16(3):e0246090. PMC: 7928453. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246090. View

Nowland R, Necka E, Cacioppo J . Loneliness and Social Internet Use: Pathways to Reconnection in a Digital World?. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2017; 13(1):70-87. DOI: 10.1177/1745691617713052. View

Niu G, Luo Y, Sun X, Zhou Z, Yu F, Yang S . Qzone use and depression among Chinese adolescents: A moderated mediation model. J Affect Disord. 2018; 231:58-62. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2018.01.013. View

10.

Kross E, Verduyn P, Demiralp E, Park J, Lee D, Lin N . Facebook use predicts declines in subjective well-being in young adults. PLoS One. 2013; 8(8):e69841. PMC: 3743827. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0069841. View

11.

Kessler R, Andrews G, Colpe L, Hiripi E, Mroczek D, Normand S . Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychol Med. 2002; 32(6):959-76. DOI: 10.1017/s0033291702006074. View

12.

Mandai M, Kaso M, Takahashi Y, Nakayama T . Loneliness among mothers raising children under the age of 3 years and predictors with special reference to the use of SNS: a community-based cross-sectional study. BMC Womens Health. 2018; 18(1):131. PMC: 6094879. DOI: 10.1186/s12905-018-0625-x. View

13.

Verduyn P, Gugushvili N, Kross E . The impact of social network sites on mental health: distinguishing active from passive use. World Psychiatry. 2021; 20(1):133-134. PMC: 7801842. DOI: 10.1002/wps.20820. View

14.

Luoma I, Korhonen M, Puura K, Salmelin R . Maternal loneliness: concurrent and longitudinal associations with depressive symptoms and child adjustment. Psychol Health Med. 2018; 24(6):667-679. DOI: 10.1080/13548506.2018.1554251. View

15.

Sharma A, Duc N, Luu Lam Thang T, Nam N, Ng S, Abbas K . A Consensus-Based Checklist for Reporting of Survey Studies (CROSS). J Gen Intern Med. 2021; 36(10):3179-3187. PMC: 8481359. DOI: 10.1007/s11606-021-06737-1. View

16.

Onishi R, Tone H, Kubota M, Chino N, Maruyama F . Associating Parental Efficacy with the Utility of Smart Devices: A Cross-Sectional Study of Their Role in Alleviating Maternal Parenting Concerns among Infants Aged 6-11 Months. Children (Basel). 2023; 10(9). PMC: 10528665. DOI: 10.3390/children10091437. View

17.

McDaniel B, Coyne S, Holmes E . New mothers and media use: associations between blogging, social networking, and maternal well-being. Matern Child Health J. 2011; 16(7):1509-17. DOI: 10.1007/s10995-011-0918-2. View

18.

Drake K, Ginsburg G . Family factors in the development, treatment, and prevention of childhood anxiety disorders. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev. 2012; 15(2):144-62. DOI: 10.1007/s10567-011-0109-0. View

19.

Gleeson D, Craswell A, Jones C . Women's use of social networking sites related to childbearing: An integrative review. Women Birth. 2019; 32(4):294-302. DOI: 10.1016/j.wombi.2018.10.010. View

20.

Yang C, Holden S, Carter M . Social Media Social Comparison of Ability (but not Opinion) Predicts Lower Identity Clarity: Identity Processing Style as a Mediator. J Youth Adolesc. 2018; 47(10):2114-2128. DOI: 10.1007/s10964-017-0801-6. View