Interparental conflict and adolescent internet addiction: The mediating role of emotional insecurity and the moderating role of big five personality traits

A growing body of research has documented that interparental conflict is associated with adolescent Internet addiction. However, little is known about the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relation. Based on emotional security theory and diathesis-stress model, the present study examined whether emotional insecurity mediated the relationship between interparental conflict and adolescent Internet addiction, and whether this mediating process was moderated by big five personality traits. Our theoretical model was tested using data collected from 1189 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 14.43 years, SD = 1.41). Participants completed anonymous questionnaires assessing their perceptions of interparental conflict, emotional insecurity, big five personality traits, and Internet addiction. After controlling for demographic variables, interparental conflict was positively associated with adolescent Internet addiction. Mediation analysis indicated that emotional insecurity partially mediated the association between interparental conflict and adolescent Internet addiction. Tests of moderated mediation further revealed that the mediated path was stronger for adolescents with higher neuroticism or extraversion. Results highlight the significance of identifying the mechanisms that moderate the mediated paths between interparental conflict and adolescent Internet addiction.