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The influence of media usage on family functioning

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Abstract

Media usage is pervasive in young children and in parents. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of media usage on family functioning. To measure media usage we used the Media Usage Questionnaire (MUQ). To measure the family functioning we used the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES IV), in which balanced scores (cohesion and flexibility) reveal a healthy functioning, and unbalanced scores reveal a dysfunctional functioning (disengagement, enmeshment, rigidity and chaos). Both instruments were administered to a sample of 80 families with children aged from 1 to 8 years. Results indicated that family functioning was balanced when both parents and young children showed low levels of digital device usage, whereas family functioning was dysfunctional when parents showed high levels of media usage and they allowed children high usage too. The results are discussed in terms of implications for the analysis of risk of altered family functioning.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, [T.C.]

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank all the families who agreed to participate in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Via Bivona, 98100, Messina, Italy

    Tindara Caprì, Maria Cristina Gugliandolo & Rosa Angela Fabio

  2. Department of Cognitive Sciences, Psychological, Educational and Cultural Studies, University of Messina, Via Concezione, 6, 98122, Messina, Italy

    Giancarlo Iannizzotto & Andrea Nucita

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  1. Tindara Caprì
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  2. Maria Cristina Gugliandolo
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  3. Giancarlo Iannizzotto
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  5. Rosa Angela Fabio
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Correspondence to Tindara Caprì.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest and no funding. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Appendix

Appendix

MEDIA USAGE QUESTIONNAIRE (MUQ)

Please answer the following first question: “How much time per day do you spend using these technology devices?”

Answer with this scale:

figure a

Please answer the following second question: “How much time per day do you allow your child to use these technology devices?”

Answer with this scale:

figure b

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Caprì, T., Gugliandolo, M.C., Iannizzotto, G. et al. The influence of media usage on family functioning. Curr Psychol 40, 2644–2653 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00204-1

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