Parenting styles impact internet addiction and gambling craving among adolescents in Spain

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Author(s): Serna, Cristina ; García-Perales, Joan ; Martínez, Isabel

Journal: Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies

Year Published: 2023

Date Added: November 03, 2023

Internet addiction can involve addiction to activities practiced through the Internet. This is called generalized Internet addiction. Internet addiction could also involve specific behaviours, such as gambling. Previous research has found that Internet addictions are related to specific parenting practices. This study examined the relationship between the four classical parenting styles, Internet addiction, and online gambling addiction. A total of 512 adolescents in Spain completed a survey. The survey asked about the parenting styles that participants experienced. The survey also asked about internet addiction and online gambling.

Overall, the findings show a relationship between parenting styles and technological addictions. Participants who saw their parents as authoritarian scored higher on all three dimensions of Internet addiction than those who experienced other types of parenting. Participants who experienced authoritarian parenting also scored higher on all three dimensions of gambling craving (anticipation, desire, and relief). The researchers did not find any differences on the effects of parenting styles based on sex and age.

Citation: Serna, C., García-Perales, J., & Martínez, I. (2023). Protective and risk parenting styles for internet and online gambling addiction. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 2023, 6674541. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/6674541

Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/6674541

Keywords: adolescent gambling ; adolescents ; family impacts ; parenting ; problematic Internet use

Topics: Children and Youth ; Family and Friends ; Priority Populations

Conceptual Framework Factors: Psychological Factors ; Social - Family and Peer Gambling Involvement ; Psychological - Lifespan Development ; Social Factors

Study Design: Descriptive: Survey

Geographic Coverage: Spain

Study Population: Adolescents (N=512) in Spain who attended a public high school or university in a middle-class neighbourhood.

Sampling Procedure: A total of 512 adolescents who attended public high school and university in middle-class neighbourhoods from Spain completed a survey. Participants were recruited from eight educational centres. These centres were selected via random sampling from a complete list of centres from a region in Spain. Participants had to be Spanish and live in nuclear families (mother and primary male caregiver or female caregiver and father). Participants had to get permission from their parents to participate.

Study Funding:

This study was funded in part by the European Regional Development Fund, within the framework of the FEDER Program of Castilla-La Mancha for the period 2021–2027.