Journals › Sri Lanka Journal of Psychiatry
Screen addiction among children and adolescents and the self-efficacy of mothers in screen use management during the COVID-19 lockdown in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka Journal of Psychiatry 14(1): 36–43 · 2023
https://doi.org/10.4038/sljpsyc.v14i1.8407
Abstract
Background: The prevalence of problematic screen use (PSU) or “screen addiction” among children and adolescents may have escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The self-efficacy of the mothers in managing screen use in their children may play an important preventive role in children developing PSU. Aims: This study aimed to assess PSU among children aged 4-18 years during the lockdown period imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore the association between PSU and self-efficacy of mothers in managing screen use. Methods: An online survey was conducted using social media groups among mothers of children aged 4-18 years. The PSU in their children was measured using the Problematic Media Use Measure (PMUM), and maternal self-efficacy in managing screen use was assessed using the Parental Screen Use Management Scale (PSUMS). The two questionnaires were translated and validated into Sinhala prior to this study. Results: A total of 320 mothers responded to the survey. Based on the PMUM cut-off score, 25.3% of the children were found to have PSU. PSU was inversely correlated with maternal self-efficacy in managing screen use (r=-0.63, p
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