Peer-reviewed article

Linking Parent-Adolescent Discrepancies in Perceived Adolescent Emotional and Behavioral Problems to Adolescent Problematic Internet Use: A Longitudinal Study.

Qin Wang, Yue Zhu, Xin Wang, Jia Duan, Wenyi Yang et al. · 14 Aug 2026

Abstract

Problematic Internet use during adolescence may be shaped not only by adolescents' emotional and behavioral difficulties but also by how these difficulties are perceived within the family. Little is known about whether parent-adolescent congruence and incongruence in perceived adolescent emotional and behavioral problems are associated with later problematic Internet use symptoms. Using three waves of data from the School-based Evaluation Advancing Response for Child Health cohort in Jiangsu, China, this longitudinal study included 4,678 parent-adolescent dyads (1,231 father-adolescent and 3,447 mother-adolescent dyads, with a mean adolescent age of 12.54 years [SD = 2.14]). Baseline adolescent- and parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire scores were linked to continuous Chinese Internet Addiction Scale scores at two follow-up waves. Multilevel polynomial regression with response surface analysis was conducted separately by dyad type, adjusting for baseline problematic Internet use and demographic, family, socioeconomic, and health-related covariates. Parent-adolescent correspondence in emotional and behavioral problem domains was significant but modest. Higher congruent total difficulties were associated with higher subsequent problematic Internet use in both dyad types. Hyperactivity/inattention showed the most consistent pattern: higher congruent hyperactivity/inattention and adolescent-higher-than-parent discrepancies were associated with higher later problematic Internet use. Dyad-specific patterns also emerged, with mother-adolescent congruence significant for emotional symptoms, peer problems, and prosocial behavior, and father-adolescent congruence significant for conduct problems. Findings suggest that adolescent problematic Internet use is linked not only to the level of emotional and behavioral difficulties but also to whether these difficulties are jointly recognized or differentially perceived by adolescents and parents. Integrating adolescent, father, and mother perspectives may improve identification of youth at risk for problematic Internet use.