{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T07:01:33Z","timestamp":1790146893279,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790121600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Smartphone dependence among college students has become an increasingly important concern because of its associations with physical and mental health and academic functioning. Parenting styles, as a core component of the family microsystem, may exert enduring influences on psychological and behavioral development. However, the psychological mechanisms linking parenting styles to smartphone dependence remain insufficiently understood.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study aimed to investigate the relationship between parenting styles and smartphone dependence among college students, and to examine the serial mediating roles of self-control and gratitude.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A cross-sectional survey design was adopted, involving 776 Chinese college students. Measurements were conducted using the Parenting Styles Questionnaire, Smartphone Addiction Index, Self-Control Scale, and Gratitude Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 and the PROCESS macro for correlation analysis, regression analysis, and serial mediation effect testing.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Parental rejection and overprotection significantly positively predicted smartphone dependence, while the direct effect of emotional warmth was not significant. Both self-control and gratitude played significant mediating roles between parenting styles and smartphone dependence. A significant serial mediating effect was observed along the path \u201cparenting styles influence self-control, which shapes gratitude and subsequently affects smartphone dependence,\u201d with effect sizes ranging between 2.3 and 2.4%.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Parenting styles were associated with college students\u2019 smartphone dependence through a serial pathway involving self-control and gratitude. Positive parenting dimensions were associated with stronger self-control and gratitude, whereas negative parenting dimensions were associated with weaker psychological resources and greater smartphone dependence. These findings provide a theoretical basis for future research and may inform family- and self-regulation-oriented interventions.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1874356","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T06:18:10Z","timestamp":1790144290000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Parenting styles and smartphone dependence among college students: the serial mediating roles of self-control and gratitude"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Xin","family":"Li","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Computer Science, Linfen Vocational and Technical College","place":["Linfen, China"]},{"name":"Centre for Instructional Technology and Multimedia, Universiti Sains Malaysia","place":["Penang, Malaysia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kien Tsong","family":"Chau","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Instructional Technology and Multimedia, Universiti Sains Malaysia","place":["Penang, Malaysia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wan Ahmad Jaafar","family":"Wan Yahaya","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Instructional Technology and Multimedia, Universiti Sains Malaysia","place":["Penang, Malaysia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaohui","family":"Sun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Office of Academic Affairs, Xi\u2019an Fanyi University","place":["Xi\u2019an, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1137","DOI":"10.1080\/13548506.2024.2447008","article-title":"Does smartphone addiction impact happiness? 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