Family Factors Associated with Problematic Use of the Internet in Children: A Scoping Review

Anjana Nannatt; Ngaitlang Mary Tariang; Mahesh Gowda; Saju Madavanakadu Devassy

doi:10.1177/02537176221090862

Family Factors Associated with Problematic Use of the Internet in Children: A Scoping Review

Indian J Psychol Med. 2022 Jul;44(4):341-348. doi: 10.1177/02537176221090862. Epub 2022 Jun 20.

Authors

Anjana Nannatt¹, Ngaitlang Mary Tariang¹, Mahesh Gowda², Saju Madavanakadu Devassy³

Affiliations

¹ Dept. of Sociology and Social Work, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
² Director and Consultant Psychiatrist, Spandana Health Care, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
³ Dept. of Social Work, Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, Cochin, Kerala, India.

Abstract

Background: Problematic use of the internet (PUI) is a growing concern, particularly in the young population. Family factors influence internet use among children in negative ways. This study examined the existing literature on familial or parental factors related to PUI in children.

Methods: A scoping review was conducted in EBSCOhost, PubMed, ScienceDirect, JSTOR, Biomed Central, VHL Regional Portal, Cochrane Library, Emerald Insight, and Oxford Academic Journal databases. Studies reporting data on family factors associated with PUI in children, published in English in the 10 years to July 2020 were included. The following data were extracted from each paper by two independent reviewers: methodology and demographic, familial, psychiatric, and behavioral correlates of PUI in children.

Results: Sixty-nine studies fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Three themes emerged: parenting, parental mental health, and intrafamilial demographic correlates of PUI in children. Parenting styles, parental mediation, and parent-child attachment were the major parenting correlates.

Conclusion: Literature on significant familial and parental factors associated with PUI in children is scarce. More research is required to identify the interactions of familial and parental factors with PUI in children, to develop informed management strategies to address this issue.

Keywords: Parenting; adolescents; children; family factors; internet addiction; online gaming addiction; problematic use of internet; scoping review.