Child-to-Parent Violence and Parenting Styles: Its Relations to Problematic Use of Social Networking Sites, Alexithymia, and Attitude towards Institutional Authority in Adolescence

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to analyze the relationships between child-to-parent violence and parental socialization styles with the problematic use of social networking sites, alexithymia and attitude towards institutional authority in adolescents. A sample of 2,399 adolescents (50.2% boys and 49.8% girls) enrolled in schools in Andalusia, aged between 12 and 18 years (M = 14.63, SD = 1.91) participated in the study. A MANOVA 4 × 2 × 2 was carried out. The results showed that high child-to-parent violence was related to high levels of problematic use of social networking sites, alexithymia, and a more positive attitude towards the transgression of social norms. It was also found that adolescents from families with an indulgent style showed the lowest scores in problematic use of social networking sites,  alexithymia, and positive attitude towards the transgression of social norms. Additionally, in situations of high child-to-parent violence, girls had higher scores in problematic use of social networking sites and alexithymia than boys. Finally, the results and their practical implications are discussed.