TITLE:
Influence of Maternal Mobile Phone Addiction on Preschool Child Neglect in Urban China: A Cross-Sectional Study
AUTHORS:
Dandan Bai, Ping Wang, Lihua Cui, Ling Xue, Shulan Pang
KEYWORDS:
Urban Preschool Children, Child Neglect, Maternal Mobile Phone Addiction
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.13 No.5,
May
19,
2022
ABSTRACT: Objective: The primary aim of this study is to explore the association between maternal mobile phone addiction and preschool child neglect in urban areas of China across a large sample range. Methods: A school-based sampling survey and a self-administered questionnaire were used to collect relevant information from 1,126 urban preschool children’s mothers in northern China. Binary logistic regression analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were employed to determine the significant differences and correlations between maternal mobile phone addiction and preschool child neglect. Results: The prevalence of preschool child neglect in urban areas was 42.3%, and the average degree of child neglect was 43.69 ± 9.34. Besides, the rate of mobile phone addiction for mothers was 45.5%. The prevalence of child neglect for children whose mothers was addicted to mobile phones were considerably higher than for those whose mothers were not addicted, and the difference was statistically significant (P P OR = 2.510, 95% CI = 1.919 - 3.282) was a risk factor for child neglect. Conclusion: The problem of maternal mobile phone addiction in Chinese urban areas is serious, and it greatly increases the risk of child neglect. Therefore, effective precautions should be taken to protect preschool children from maternal neglect.