Purpose
In recent years, the term “technoference” has gained prominence, reflecting the habitual interferences and disruptions within familial relationships or quality time spent together, all as a consequence of electronic device usage. As mounting evidence surfaces, pointing to potential associations between parental technoference and the mental health, as well as behavioral patterns of adolescents, this comprehensive scoping review endeavors to provide a comprehensive synthesis of the existing literature in this field.
Methods
This scoping review constitutes an extensive exploration encompassing six well-established databases, namely APA PsycINFO, MEDLINE, ASSIA, ERIC, Social Sciences Premium Collection, and SciTech Premium. It encompasses a meticulous examination of articles scrutinizing the intricate association between parental technoference and the mental well-being, as well as the behavioral tendencies of adolescents. Every study encompassed within this review offers a foundation of empirical evidence.
Results
An exhaustive search across the aforementioned databases yielded a substantial corpus of 382 articles. Of these, 13 articles met the strict eligibility criteria established for this scoping review. The review employs a narrative approach to amalgamate the eligible findings. Within the gamut of the included studies, a prevailing trend emerges, where adolescent perceptions of parental technoference appear to be negatively linked to adolescent mental health while concurrently showing a positive association with violent behaviors among the younger demographic. Additionally, it was apparent that parental cohesion and the mental health status of adolescents were identified as significant mediating factors.
Conclusion
The findings unearthed through this comprehensive scoping review underscore the necessity for parents to exercise vigilance regarding the environments in which they employ electronic devices. It becomes increasingly evident that such usage has the potential to exert direct and indirect influence over the mental health and behavioral patterns of adolescents. Consequently, it becomes imperative to delve further into the possible nuances and complications surrounding parental technoference. This endeavor would be instrumental in fostering the development of evidence-informed guidelines pertaining to the adept management of electronic devices by parents in their role as caregivers.
