Impacts of mothers' occupation status and parenting styles on levels of self-control, addiction to computer games, and educational progress of adolescents.
BACKGROUND
Addiction to computer (video) games in adolescents and its relationship with educational progress has recently attracted the attention of rearing and education experts as well as organizations and institutes involved in physical and mental health. The current research attempted to propose a structural model of the relationships between parenting styles, mothers' occupation status, and addiction to computer games, self-control, and educational progress of secondary school students.


METHODS
Using multistage cluster random sampling, 500 female and male secondary school students in Kerman (Iran) were selected and studied. The research tools included self-control, parenting styles, and addiction to computer games questionnaires and a self-made questionnaire containing demographic details. The data was analyzed using exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha coefficient and route analysis (in LISREL).


RESULTS
We found self-control to have a linking role in the relationship between four parenting styles and educational progress. Mothers' occupation status was directly and significantly correlated with addiction to computer games. Although four parenting styles directly and significantly affected addiction to computer games, the findings did not support the linking role of addiction to computer games in the relationship between four parenting styles and educational progress.


CONCLUSIONS
In agreement with previous studies, the current research reflected the impact of four parenting styles on self-control, addiction to computer games, and educational progress of students. Among the parenting styles, authoritative style can affect the severity of addiction to computer games through self-control development. It can thus indirectly influence the educational progress of students. Parents are recommended to use authoritative parenting style to help both self-management and psychological health of their children. The employed mothers are also recommended to have more supervision and control on the degree and type of computer games selected by their children.
Assistant Professor, Department of Education, School of Education and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.
Yasamin
Y
Abedini
Associate Professor, Department of Education, School of Education and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.
Bibi Eshrat
BE
Zamani
Psychiatrist, Kerman Neurosciences Research Center AND School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Ali
A
Kheradmand
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Ghodratollah
G
Rajabizadeh
Academic achievements; Addiction to video games; Mothers’ occupation; Parenting styles; Self control