To examine the association between screen exposure and emotion regulation in 5–6-year-old children, considering executive function as a mediator and parent-child interaction as a moderator to clarify their roles.
Key Findings:
Higher screen exposure was associated with lower emotion regulation abilities in children, indicating a significant relationship.
Executive function partially mediated the association between screen exposure and emotion regulation, suggesting a pathway for intervention.
Parent-child interaction moderated the relationship between screen exposure and both executive function and emotion regulation, highlighting the importance of family dynamics.
Interpretation:
The findings suggest that understanding the association between screen exposure and early emotion regulation requires consideration of both children's executive function and the quality of parent-child interaction, which can inform family-based guidance.
Limitations:
The study is limited to a specific population in H Province, China, which may affect generalizability and applicability to other contexts.
Data were self-reported by parents, which may introduce bias and affect the reliability of the findings.
Conclusion:
The study provides early evidence relevant to socio-emotional adjustment during adolescence, highlighting the importance of family dynamics in children's screen use and emotion regulation, and situating these findings within the broader literature.
