P.over the parents. It’s always all against them. And the guilt of not being a good mother and a good father is always lurking. This time, it takes a Canadian investigation published in “Computers in Human Behavior”.
Worse parents if you use your smartphone too much
According to research, mom and dad who use digital tools to relax would have greater chance of engaging in negative behaviors towards their children, increasing the risk of being worse parents.
The goal of the team from the University of Waterloo, Canada, was to investigate the relationship between parents’ use of digital tools, mental health and parenting practices at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Fewer patients, more likely to scream: parents too often attached to smartphones could be worse parents
Mom and Dad stop being connected
The results showed that, on average, parents spend three to four hours a day with digital technologies.
Jasmine Zhang, lead author of the survey, explaining the results, pointed out that it’s not just children or teenagers who often use digital devices. Even adults themselves do it, for various reasons, and that this use could have an impact on their children.
In fact, Zhang adds, all family members are important when trying to understand the dynamics of households in a society saturated with technology.
The research on 549 parents
The research analyzed all of them parents of at least two children between the ages of 5 and 18, approximately 549 people. All participants were questioned for try to define the details on their use of technologies.
Furthermore, the scholars have gleaned information on their mental health and that of their children. Parental practices and family dynamics in general were also analyzed.
Worse Parents: What Impact on Children
Once acquired and analyzed the various elements, the researchers came to the conclusion that the use of digital devices it certainly has important reflexes in parenting practice e in the relationship between parents and children. But which ones exactly?
More smartphones, more anxiety, less patience
Parents who, more than others, engaged in multiple activities including the use of digital tools and were more likely to use the latter for relaxation, they were also those who exhibited the highest levels of distress.
But this consumption was related to negative parenting practices, such as that of be less patient and scream more often.
There is also something positive, though
However, the use of digital tools should not be completely demonized. The researchers found that maintain social connectionsalso thanks to digital channels, however, it has positive effects, reducing anxiety and depression.
And not only. Those who have good social skills in general are capable of positive parenting practices, such as listening to the opinions and ideas of their children.
iO Donna © REPRODUCTION RESERVED