The relationship between mother/father phubbing and non-suicidal self-injury in adolescents: a moderated mediation model of rumination and school connectedness

Background Parental phubbing has been shown to be associated with adolescents’ self-harm. However, the differential effects of mother/father phubbing on adolescents’ NSSI have been overlooked, and much less is known about the mechanisms underlying this relationship. Objective The present study explored the relationship between father phubbing (Fphubbing) and mother phubbing (Mphubbing) and adolescents’ NSSI. Moreover, it examined whether adolescents’ rumination mediates these associations and the moderating role of school connectedness. Participants and setting A total of 2589 participants were recruited as the final sample. Methods The PROCESS macro for SPSS was used to assess the effects of Fphubbing and Mphubbing on adolescents’ NSSI. Model 4 was applied to examine the mediating role of adolescents’ rumination in the link of Fphubbing/Mphubbing with NSSI. Model 15 was employed to estimate whether the paths of the mediation model were different across school connectedness levels. Results Fphubbing and Mphubbing were positively correlated with NSSI, and rumination partially mediated these relationships. Moderated mediation analysis further indicated that the relationship between rumination and NSSI was moderated by school connectedness, and this relationship was only significant for adolescents with low school connectedness. The relationship between Mphubbing and NSSI was also moderated by school connectedness, and this relationship is also significant for adolescents with low school connectedness. Conclusions These findings contribute to understanding the impact of parental phubbing on adolescents’ NSSI and suggest that adolescents who are at low school connectedness levels are more likely to report NSSI in the context of rumination.