Psychological Development and Education ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (1): 110-120.doi: 10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2026.01.11

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Parental Burnout and Adolescents’Internet Gaming Addiction: Roles of Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction, Effortful Control and Gender

BIAN Haotian1, ZHUANG Ruixue1, WANG Jiabao1, BIAN Yufang1,2,3, LIANG Lichan1,2,3   

  1. 1. Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment toward Basic Education Quality, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875;
    2. Child and Family Education Research Center, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875;
    3. Institute of Mental Health and Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875
  • Published:2026-01-19

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Abstract: To examine the influence of parental burnout on adolescents’ Internet gaming addiction and mechanism, the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale, Internet Gaming Addiction Scale and Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire were applied to investigate adolescents, and the Parental Burnout Assessment was employed to investigate fathers and mothers. Ultimately, 2669 families’ triadic data were collected. After controlling the subjective family socioeconomic status perceived by adolescents, the results showed that: (1) Parental burnout significantly and positively predicted adolescents’ Internet gaming addiction; (2) Parental burnout increased the risk of adolescents’ Internet gaming addiction by diminishing their need satisfaction for relatedness, autonomy, and competence. When comparing the differences in the mediating effects, only the mediating effect of autonomy need satisfaction was significantly larger than that of competence need satisfaction; (3) The later part of the three mediating effects of “parental burnout → basic psychological need satisfaction (relatedness, autonomy, competence) → Internet gaming addiction” were moderated by adolescents’ effortful control and gender. Among lower effortful control and male individuals, relatedness need satisfaction, autonomy need satisfaction, and competence need satisfaction all had stronger impacts on Internet gaming addiction. These findings provided insights for the prevention and intervention of adolescents’ Internet gaming addiction.

Key words: parental burnout, Internet gaming addiction, basic psychological need satisfaction, effortful control, adolescents

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