The Sequential Mediating Effect of Parent-Child Communication and Sense of Community on the Relationship Between Smartphone Overdependence and School Adaptation

Abstract

This study investigated the sequential mediating effects of parent–child communication and sense of community on the relationship between smartphone overdependence and school adaptation. Using data from the 15th Panel Study on Korean Child Youth Panel Survey, the study population comprised 1,269 adolescents studying in the second grade of middle school. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and path analysis, which were performed using IBM SPSS 30.0 and AMOS 23.0 programs. The main research findings are as follows: Firstly, smartphone overdependence was negatively correlated with parent–child communication, sense of community, and school adaptation, whereas parent–child communication was positively correlated with sense of community and school adaptation. Secondly, smartphone overdependence independently predicted school adaptation, and this relationship was sequentially mediated by parent–child communication and the sense of community. This study is salient because it identifies the specific paths through which smartphone overdependence, parent–child communication, and sense of community affect adolescents’ school adaptation. Furthermore, the results imply that efforts to enhance adolescents’ school adaptation should focus on not only managing their smartphone dependence but also fostering positive parent– child communication and creating environments that cultivate a sense of community.