Longitudinal effects of parental adverse childhood experiences on offspring problematic media use: The serial mediating role of psychological distress and harsh discipline

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) may lead to increased problematic media use (PMU). However, whether parental adverse childhood experiences predict offspring PMU, and the mediating roles of psychological distress and harsh discipline, two common mechanisms underlying the intergenerational transmission of parental ACEs, in this relationship have not been examined in Chinese samples. Objective: This study examined the serial mediating effects of psychological distress and harsh discipline on the association between parental ACEs and children's PMU. Participants and setting: Participants were 617 three-year-old children and their parents (mean age of 33.24 years, SD = 4.01) from Wuhu, China. Methods: Parents completed online questionnaires measuring ACEs, psychological distress, and demographic information in September 2022 (Time 1). Parents completed online questionnaires measuring harsh discipline and offspring PMU in September 2023 (Time 2). Macro Process 6 was used to test two serial mediating effects of psychological distress and corporal punishment, as well as psychological distress and psychological aggression. A total of 5000 bootstrap samples were used to estimate the 95 % confidence intervals. A significant effect was indicated by a 95 % confidence interval that did not include zero. Results: The findings suggest that parental ACEs directly and positively predict offspring PMU. Psychological distress and harsh discipline mediate the association between maternal ACEs and offspring PMU parallelly and sequentially. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of addressing psychological distress and harsh discipline when designing interventions targeting Chinese parents exposed to ACEs and their children.