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Problematic Internet Use and Child-To-Parent Violence: Associations Between Social Media Use, Gaming, and Abusive Behaviours Toward Parents

Johnson, Björn LU orcid ; Andersson, Lisa LU orcid and Svensson, Robert (2026) In Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling 23.
Abstract
Problematic internet use (PIU) has been linked to adverse outcomes in adolescence, but its association with child-to-parent violence (CPV) has rarely been examined. This study investigated whether problematic social media use and problematic gaming were associated with CPV in a school-based sample of Swedish adolescents and young adults. In bivariate analyses, both PIU domains showed dose-response associations with verbal aggression, coercive behaviour, and physical violence toward mothers and fathers. In stepwise multivariable models predicting any abuse toward either parent, the associations were attenuated after adjustment for demographic, individual and family-related risk factors. Girls reported more problematic social media use and... (More)
Problematic internet use (PIU) has been linked to adverse outcomes in adolescence, but its association with child-to-parent violence (CPV) has rarely been examined. This study investigated whether problematic social media use and problematic gaming were associated with CPV in a school-based sample of Swedish adolescents and young adults. In bivariate analyses, both PIU domains showed dose-response associations with verbal aggression, coercive behaviour, and physical violence toward mothers and fathers. In stepwise multivariable models predicting any abuse toward either parent, the associations were attenuated after adjustment for demographic, individual and family-related risk factors. Girls reported more problematic social media use and boys more problematic gaming, but the pattern of associations did not differ by gender. Overall, PIU may be better understood as an indicator of broader psychosocial and family risk than as a strong independent driver of CPV, although conflicts around internet use may still contribute to escalation in some families. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Problematic internet use (PIU) has been linked to adverse outcomes in adolescence, but its association with child-to-parent violence (CPV) has rarely been examined. This study investigated whether problematic social media use and problematic gaming were associated with CPV in a school-based sample of Swedish adolescents and young adults. In bivariate analyses, both PIU domains showed dose-response associations with verbal aggression, coercive behaviour, and physical violence toward mothers and fathers. In stepwise multivariable models predicting any abuse toward either parent, the associations were attenuated after adjustment for demographic, individual and family-related risk factors. Girls reported more problematic social media use and... (More)
Problematic internet use (PIU) has been linked to adverse outcomes in adolescence, but its association with child-to-parent violence (CPV) has rarely been examined. This study investigated whether problematic social media use and problematic gaming were associated with CPV in a school-based sample of Swedish adolescents and young adults. In bivariate analyses, both PIU domains showed dose-response associations with verbal aggression, coercive behaviour, and physical violence toward mothers and fathers. In stepwise multivariable models predicting any abuse toward either parent, the associations were attenuated after adjustment for demographic, individual and family-related risk factors. Girls reported more problematic social media use and boys more problematic gaming, but the pattern of associations did not differ by gender. Overall, PIU may be better understood as an indicator of broader psychosocial and family risk than as a strong independent driver of CPV, although conflicts around internet use may still contribute to escalation in some families. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling
volume
23
article number
e70014
publisher
John Wiley & Sons Inc.
ISSN
1544-4767
DOI
10.1002/jip.70014
project
Child-to-parent violence - a cross-sectional study
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
b5b9388d-daba-4377-82ed-c3dbee1bda9a
date added to LUP
2026-04-02 15:22:44
date last changed
2026-04-08 13:49:31
@article{b5b9388d-daba-4377-82ed-c3dbee1bda9a,
  abstract     = {{Problematic internet use (PIU) has been linked to adverse outcomes in adolescence, but its association with child-to-parent violence (CPV) has rarely been examined. This study investigated whether problematic social media use and problematic gaming were associated with CPV in a school-based sample of Swedish adolescents and young adults. In bivariate analyses, both PIU domains showed dose-response associations with verbal aggression, coercive behaviour, and physical violence toward mothers and fathers. In stepwise multivariable models predicting any abuse toward either parent, the associations were attenuated after adjustment for demographic, individual and family-related risk factors. Girls reported more problematic social media use and boys more problematic gaming, but the pattern of associations did not differ by gender. Overall, PIU may be better understood as an indicator of broader psychosocial and family risk than as a strong independent driver of CPV, although conflicts around internet use may still contribute to escalation in some families.}},
  author       = {{Johnson, Björn and Andersson, Lisa and Svensson, Robert}},
  issn         = {{1544-4767}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{04}},
  publisher    = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
  series       = {{Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling}},
  title        = {{Problematic Internet Use and Child-To-Parent Violence: Associations Between Social Media Use, Gaming, and Abusive Behaviours Toward Parents}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jip.70014}},
  doi          = {{10.1002/jip.70014}},
  volume       = {{23}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}