Parental phubbing refers to the sense of neglect experienced by children whose parents are preoccupied with their mobile devices. Digital self-harm encompasses behaviors in which individuals post, send, or share harmful content about themselves online, often anonymously. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between parental phubbing and digital self-harm among Chinese adolescents, with psychological distress serving as a mediating variable and gender acting as a moderating variable. We recruited 1055 adolescents (Mage = 14.86 ± 1.70 years; ngirl = 537) to complete measures assessing parental phubbing, psychological distress, and digital self-harm. Our study employed a three-wave longitudinal design, with assessments spaced 6 months apart. Findings indicated that parental phubbing positively predicted digital self-harm through psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and stress) in Chinese adolescents. Notably, gender differences existed in this mechanism; the association between psychological distress and digital self-harm was stronger among boys than girls. Our study suggests that interventions aimed at reducing parental phubbing could have a beneficial impact on alleviating adolescent psychological distress and mitigating instances of digital self-harm. Furthermore, it is essential to consider the differing needs for intervention strategies tailored specifically for boys and girls in practice.
Fu et al. (Mon,) studied this question.