How parenting style impacts adolescents’ nomophobia: Basic psychological needs satisfaction and loneliness as mediators

Although previous research has found a close relationship between parenting style and problematic cell phone use among adolescents, the specific link between parenting style and nomophobia has been little explored. In this study we used a cross-sectional design to examine this relationship, focusing on the mediators of adolescents’ basic psychological needs satisfaction and loneliness. Analysis of data obtained in a survey completed by 573 Chinese adolescents revealed a negative relationship between parental emotional warmth and adolescents’ nomophobia, and a positive relationship between both parental rejection and overprotection and nomophobia. Satisfaction of adolescents’ basic psychological needs and loneliness mediated the relationship between parenting style and nomophobia, both individually and sequentially. These findings enhance understanding of the mechanisms linking parenting styles and adolescents’ nomophobia, contributing to the development of intervention programs aimed at reducing symptoms of nomophobia among adolescents.