EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARENTAL PHUBBING, EMOTION REGULATION, AND SOCIAL COMPETENCE AMONG EARLY ADOLESCENTS
Keywords:
Early Adolescents, Emotion Regulation, Parent-Child Communication, Parental Phubbing, Smartphone Use, Social CompetenceAbstract
The increasing use of smartphones has transformed patterns of family communication and interaction, giving rise to parental phubbing, a phenomenon in which parents prioritize smartphone use over direct engagement with their children. Such behavior may disrupt parent–child communication and negatively influence adolescent’s emotional and social development. The present study examined the relationships among parental phubbing, emotion regulation, and social competence among early adolescents. A quantitative cross-sectional correlational research design was employed. The sample consisted of 150 early adolescents (79 males and 71 females), aged 10 to 14 years, recruited through convenience sampling from government and private schools in Faisalabad, Pakistan. Data were collected using the Parental Phubbing Scale, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents, and the Children’s Social Competence Scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson product–moment correlation analyses, and simple linear regression analyses were performed using SPSS Version 26. The findings revealed a significant negative relationship between parental phubbing and emotion regulation (r = -.876, p < .001), as well as between parental phubbing and social competence (r = -.830, p < .001). A significant positive relationship was found between emotion regulation and social competence (r = .951, p < .001). Furthermore, parental phubbing significantly predicted emotion regulation (β = -.876, p < .001) and social competence (β = -.830, p < .001). The findings suggest that higher levels of parental smartphone distraction are associated with poorer emotional regulation and lower social competence among adolescents. The study highlights the importance of mindful parental technology use and effective parent–child communication in promoting positive emotional and social developmental outcomes during early adolescence.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Maryam Tariq, Kainat Shehzadi, M. Adeeb (Author)
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