Mechanisms linking parents’ education level to adolescent gaming disorder among Chinese Special School students: serial mediating effects of emotional abuse experience and psychopathy

Abstract

Background: There is limited research on the predictors of gaming disorder for parents regarding educational background. In particular, research conducted in settings similar to ours has identified gaming disorder as a significant risk factor for behaviors associated with juvenile delinquency. Methods: This article proposes and tests hypotheses that the father’s and mother’s education levels were related to adolescent gaming disorder in adolescents in Chongqing, China. We used data from a census of Special School students to examine the association between parents’ education and adolescent gaming addiction. The participants were 378 Special School students (10.6% female, aged 10–18 years). The participants completed the paper-and-pencil questionnaire provided in this study, and 378 questionnaires were returned. Mediation analyses were used to assess both the direct and indirect effects. Results: The findings indicated a significant negative and indirect association between higher mother’s education level and adolescent gaming disorder, which is serially mediated by emotional abuse and psychopathy (bp = −.001, p