Targeting Rural Adolescent Pregnancy: Modifiable Protective Factors and Contraceptive Use.

PURPOSE: Rural adolescent pregnancy is a serious public health issue, largely due to low contraceptive use. Existing data focuses on urban populations. Using a positive youth development framework, we examine associations between modifiable protective factors and birth control use in a rural population. METHODS: Prior to an evidence-based health education program, students in 10th grade health class in two low-to-middle income rural schools completed surveys. For contraceptive use at last sex, students could check all methods that applied which were collapsed into three rank-ordered categories: none, condoms only, and hormonal contraception. Predictor variables included sexual self-efficacy (six items, α = 0.66, "able to say no"), parent connectedness (five items, α = 0.94, "satisfaction with your parent/guardian?"), language acculturation (one item, "in your home do you speak…"), school connectedness (five items, α = 0.85, "I feel close to people at my school") and adverse childhood experiences (eight item score). These variables were entered into a multivariable logistic ordinal regression. RESULTS: The sample (N = 287) was 52% female, 48% LatinX and 49% white. Higher sexual self-efficacy and parent connectedness scores significantly increased the odds of using more effective birth control. Higher language acculturation (more likely to speak another language at home) suggested less likely to use more effective birth control. School connection and adverse childhood experiences were not significant in the final model. DISCUSSION: Contraception focused interventions in rural communities should address modifiable protective factors, such as self-efficacy and parent connection. Interventions need to be trauma-informed and language accessible.

Family Coping With COVID-19: Unexpected Parental Loss and Surviving Parent Coping, Grief and Posttraumatic Growth Outcomes Based on Child Age.

Guided by the conceptual framework of widowed parenting, the current study takes a relational approach to understand more about how the characteristics of parents of young and adult children relate to coping following the unexpected death of a partner due to COVID-19, and how these variables predict complicated grief and posttraumatic growth. A sample of 81 widowed parents completed self-report measures examining parenting self-efficacy, relationship uncertainty, coping, complicated grief, and posttraumatic growth. Results of hierarchical regression analyses suggest that, when controlling for time since death (1) relationship uncertainty and avoidant coping significantly predict complicated grief for parents in the sample with adult children, and (2) widowed parenting self-efficacy and both problem-focused and emotion-focused coping significantly predict posttraumatic growth for parents in the sample with young children. Results of the current study may inform future practices (e.g., use of Emotionally Focused Family Therapy) to aid families grieving an unexpected loss.

Good parent-child relationship protects against alcohol use in maltreated adolescent females carrying the MAOA-uVNTR susceptibility allele.

Introduction: Risk-allele carriers of a Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene, short-allele (MAOA-S) in males and long-allele (MAOA-L) in females, in the presence of a negative environment, are associated with alcohol misuse. Whether MAOA-S/L alleles also present susceptibility to a positive environment to mitigate the risk of alcohol misuse is unknown. Thus, we assessed the association of the three-way interaction of MAOA, maltreatment, and positive parent-child relationship with alcohol consumption among adolescents. Methods: This prospective study included 1416 adolescents (females: 59.88%) aged 16 - 19 years from Sweden, enrolled in the "Survey of Adolescent Life in Västmanland" in 2012. Adolescents self-reported alcohol consumption, maltreatment by a family (FM) or non-family member (NFM), parent-child relationship, and left saliva for MAOA genotyping. Results and discussion: We observed sex-dependent results. Females carrying MAOA-L with FM or NFM and a good parent-child relationship reported lower alcohol consumption than those with an average or poor parent-child relationship. In males, the interactions were not significant. Results suggest MAOA-L in females, conventionally regarded as a "risk", is a "plasticity" allele as it is differentially susceptible to negative and positive environments. Results highlight the importance of a good parent-child relationship in mitigating the risk of alcohol misuse in maltreated individuals carrying genetic risk. However, the interactions were not significant after adjusting to several environmental and behavioural covariates, especially parent's alcohol use, negative parent-child relationship, and nicotine use (smoking and/or snus), suggesting predictor and outcome intersection. Future studies and frameworks for preventive strategies should consider these covariates together with alcohol consumption. More studies with larger sample sizes are needed to replicate the findings.

The Effects of Parental Food Education on Children's Food Literacy: The Mediating Role of Parent-Child Relationship and Learning Motivation.

Parental food education has been recognized among the important factors influencing children's food literacy; however, the intrinsic mechanisms through which this influence occurs are unclear. In this study, a mediation model was constructed to explore this issue, using the parent-child relationship and learning motivation as mediating variables. In total, 204 children, aged 9-14 years old, responded to questionnaires on parental food education, children's food literacy, the parent-child relationship, and learning motivation, which were used to measure the variables of interest. The results showed that parental food education was significantly and positively related to the parent-child relationship, learning motivation, and children's food literacy; the parent-child relationship was significantly and positively related to learning motivation; and learning motivation was significantly and positively related to children's food literacy. Parental food education influenced children's food literacy in the following two main ways: the mediating role of learning motivation and the chain-mediating roles of the parent-child relationship and learning motivation. In addition, we attempt to explore the moderating role of the teaching stage between parental food education and the parent-child relationship, learning motivation, and children's food literacy. In this paper, we discuss possible guidelines for family food education and children's health based on the findings of the current study.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of interventions targeting the parent-child relationship in families of children with an intellectual disability.

BACKGROUND: The review aimed to investigate the effectiveness of parent-child relationship interventions for families of children with intellectual disability up to 12 years old. METHODS: Quasi-experimental or randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of interventions targeting the parent-child relationship where ≥50% of children had an intellectual disability were included. Meta-analyses of parent-child relationship outcomes and child outcomes used standardised mean difference as the effect size. RESULTS: Twenty-seven papers were included (N = 1325). Parent-child relationship outcomes improved significantly (n = 1325; g = 1.08, 95% CI: 0.64, 1.52) with a large effect size that was robust to sensitivity analyses. Child developmental outcomes improved significantly (n = 1082; g = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.23, 1.07), and indicated a large effect size for child socialisation and communication. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that interventions targeting parent-child relationship quality are associated with substantial improvements in parent-child relationship and may improve child outcomes related to socialisation and communication.

The interplay of dopaminergic genotype and parent-child relationship in relation to intra-individual response time variability in preschoolers: A replication study.

Intra-individual response time variability (IIRTV) during cognitive performance is increasingly recognized as an important indicator of attentional control (AC) and related brain region function. However, what determinants contribute to preschoolers' IIRTV received little attention. The present study explored the interaction of dopaminergic polygenic composite score (DPCS) and the parent-child relationship in relation to preschoolers' IIRTV. In the initial sample, 452 preschoolers (M age = 5.17, SD = 0.92) participated in the study. The modified Flanker task was used to evaluate children's IIRTV and their parents were requested to complete the Parent-Child Relationship Scale to assess the parent-child relationship (closeness/conflict). DNA data were extracted from children's saliva samples, and a DPCS was created by the number of COMT, DAT1, and DRD2 alleles associated with lower dopamine levels. Results showed that DPCS significantly interacted with the parent-child closeness to impact preschoolers' IIRTV. Specifically, preschoolers with higher DPCS exhibited lower IIRTV under higher levels of the parent-child closeness, and greater IIRTV under lower levels of the parent-child closeness compared to those with lower DPCS, which supported the differential susceptibility theory (DST). A direct replication attempt with 280 preschoolers (M age = 4.80, SD = 0.86) was conducted to investigate whether the results were in accordance with our exploratory outcomes. The interactive effect of DPCS and the parent-child closeness on IIRTV was confirmed. Additionally, the significant interactive effect of DPCS and the parent-child conflict on IIRTV was found in the replication study. The findings indicate that preschoolers' IIRTV, as an indicator of AC and related brain region function, is influenced by the interactions of dopaminergic genotypes and the parent-child relationship. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: We investigated the Gene × Environment mechanism to underline the intra-individual response time variability as an indicator of attentional control (AC) in Chinese preschoolers. Dopaminergic polygenic composite score (COMT, DAT1, and DRD2) interacted with the parent-child relationship to predict preschoolers' intra-individual reaction time variability. A direct replication attempt has been conducted, and the results were in accordance with our exploratory outcomes, which increased the credibility of the present findings. The findings highlight the importance of considering precursors, including polygenic and environmental factors, which contribute to the development of early cognitive performance such as AC.

Psychometric evaluation of the german version of the parent-adolescent communication scale.

The quality of dyadic Parent-Child Communication (PCC) between parents and their adolescent children may be important for the adolescent's general development and mental health during adolescence. Since German instruments for measuring PCC are still lacking, this study aimed to validate the German translation of the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (PACS), an internationally established self-report questionnaire. To examine the theoretical-based two-factor model of the PACS in a German population sample of 1044 parent-adolescent dyads, confirmatory factor analyses were used. Moreover, the cross-group measurement invariance of the instrument was assessed. Two clinical samples were used to assess discriminative validity. Bland-Altman plots were used to asses parent-adolescent agreement. The two-factor structure of the PACS was supported. Scalar measurement invariance was established for parent age groups and adolescent gender but not for adolescent age groups and parent gender. Convergent and divergent validity were established. Discriminative validity was only established for the adolescent version in the adolescent psychiatry sample. Test-retest reliability was satisfactory, and rater agreement was medium. The German translation of the PACS is a reliable and valid measurement to assess parent-adolescent communication quality per self-report. Research directions include the concordance discrepancy in clinical samples and further investigation of changes in parents' and adolescents' perspectives on communication problems and open communication. Registration: NCT05332236 (clinicaltrials.gov), first registered 2022-04-11.

Parental expressions of love in Chinese American immigrant families: Implications for children's attachment security.

Harlow's seminal work on the nature of attachment focused on the importance of warm, responsive, and loving relationships in children's healthy development. While the need for love and care is arguably universal, the ways in which these emotions are expressed can vary across cultural contexts. We examined how Chinese American parents' expressions of love were associated with children's attachment security. A total of 110 Chinese American immigrant parent-child dyads (children 7-11 years old, 49% girls) participated in 3-min conversations in which parents were instructed to communicate love and care. Proposition-level analyses in speech (total 8825 propositions) identified three types of affection: training (guan and chiao shun); relational affection (qin); and validation (acceptance and encouragement of child's own expression of emotion, thoughts, and behaviors). Higher training was observed in parents with lower American orientation and lower income. Higher relational affection was observed in parents with lower income. Higher validation was observed in parents with higher income. Using path analyses, training and validation were found to be positively associated with children's attachment security beyond parenting styles. Effects of parents' relational affection were moderated by children's American orientation. Results demonstrate how immigrant parents draw on multiple cultural scripts to express love and care. These findings expand traditional concepts of parental love in immigrant families and illustrate how bicultural expressions of love can shape attachment security in middle childhood. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at https://youtu.be/HqUfIDxkFsE RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Analyses of parent-child discussions identified three parental affection styles (i.e., training, relational affection, and validation) as expressions of love and care in Chinese American immigrant families. Training and validation were positively associated with children's attachment security. Relational affection was associated with lower attachment security for children with higher American cultural orientation, suggesting the effects of parent-child expressions of love are shaped by acculturation.

Longitudinal Relationship Between Psychological Capital and Anxiety in College Students: The Mediating Effect of Emotion Reregulation Strategy and Moderating Effect of Parent-Child Relationship.

Objective: Based on Conservation of resources theory, process model of emotion regulation and attachment theory, the present study examined how psychological capital affects anxiety through the mediation of emotion regulation strategies and explored the moderating role of parent-child relationship. Methods: Using a longitudinal study method, 962 college students were surveyed twice at one-year intervals. Results: (1) College students' emotion regulation strategies (including cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) partially mediated psychological capital and anxiety mood; (2) parent-child relationship moderated the pathways of psychological capital and expressive suppression on anxiety, respectively. Conclusion: College students with higher levels of parent-child relationship had stronger predictive effects of psychological capital and weaker predictive effects of expressive suppression on anxiety mood. The research findings clarify the combined effects of emotion regulation and parent-child relationships on anxiety among college students, providing valuable reference for the design and implementation of interventions to promote individual psychological well-being.

A Randomized Pilot Trial of the Donor Conception Tool to Empower Parental Telling and Talking (TELL Tool) with Their Children About Their Genetic Origins.

INTRODUCTION: Parents who use donated gametes or embryos to form their families struggle with telling their children about their genetic origins. We developed the Tool to Empower Parental Telling and Talking (TELL Tool) to support parents in disclosure to their children and an eBook attention control. METHOD: A randomized parallel, two-group, attention-controlled clinical pilot trial was conducted online during COVID-19. Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects among parents with children aged 1-16 years were examined. RESULTS: Over 10 months, our target of 75 parents were enrolled (85% of eligible [95% confidence interval (CI), 76% to 91%]), and 68% (95% CI: 57% to 78%) were retained at 12 weeks. At 4 and 12 weeks, positive trends were found for parental disclosure, telling confidence, and anxiety compared with attention controls. DISCUSSION: The study protocol is feasible, and the TELL Tool is acceptable to parents and demonstrates a positive effect on parents' ability to tell their children. The results support the implementation of a large efficacy trial.

Relationship of nutritional behaviors and parent-child interactions with developmental domains of Iranian toddlers: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Health service providers closely monitor the developmental state of toddlers to identify the factors affecting this process because any defect during this period will cause irreversible damage. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship of nutritional behaviors and parent-child interactions with the developmental domains of Iranian toddlers. METHODS: This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 341 toddlers aged 12-36 months covered by comprehensive health centers in the south of Tehran in 2021-2022. The participants were selected through single-stage cluster sampling. To this end, 16 comprehensive health centers were randomly selected, and then some of the clients from each center were randomly selected as the sample. The required data were collected through the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), the Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ), the Child-Parent Relationship Scale (CPRS), and a demographics form. They were then analyzed statistically using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS-21, considering a significance level of p < 0.05. RESULTS: The results showed that most participants were normal in all developmental domains (communication, gross motor, fine motor, personal-social, and problem-solving), with a mean developmental delay ranging from 1.8 to 7%. The most serious problem of participants requiring medical referral was related to gross motor (7%) with a mean of 54.35 ± 7.28 followed by communication (6.5%) with a mean of 49.41 ± 9.67. The mean nutritional behavior of participants was 77.9 ± 21.7. A significant relationship was found between the nutritional behaviors of participants and the problem-solving domain of development (p = 0.018). The results also indicated a mean parent-child interaction score of 94.26 ± 12.63. There was a significant relationship between parent-child interactions and the communication area of development (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Since some areas of toddler development are influenced by children's nutritional behavior and parent-child interactions, it is necessary to train families to identify, monitor, and correct the factors affecting the development of their children. Health system officials and planners are also recommended to develop interventions to improve the nutritional behaviors of children and parent-child interactions.

The relationship between family-school socioeconomic status match and adolescent aggressive behavior.

The objective of the present study was to analyze the effect of the match between family and school socioeconomic status (SES) on adolescents' aggressive behaviors. Additionally, the moderating roles of gender and the parent-child relationship were examined. A total of 2,823 adolescents completed the Aggressive Behavior Scale, the Parent-Child Relationship Scale, and the Family SES Scale. School SES was measured by the average family SES of all students in the school. SES was categorized as high or low based on one standard deviation above or below the mean. The results showed that when there was a match between family and school SES, adolescents with "Low Family-Low School" SES exhibited more aggressive behaviors compared to those with "High Family-High School" SES. When there was a mismatch between family and school SES, adolescents with "High Family-Low School" SES exhibited higher levels of aggressive behaviors than those with "Low Family-High School" SES. Gender did not moderate these effects. Furthermore, when the parent-child relationship was poor, adolescents exhibited higher levels of aggressive behaviors when family SES exceeded school SES. Conversely, the effects of family and school SES on aggressive behavior were not significant when the parent-child relationship was strong. The present study highlights that the match and mismatch between family and school SES significantly influence adolescents' aggressive behaviors and that a strong parent-child relationship has a protective effect.

The mutuality account of parenthood: a subjective approach to parent-child relationships.

Stimulated by development of reproductive technologies, many current bioethical accounts of parenthood focus on defining parenthood at or around birth. They tend to exclude from their scope some parent-child relationships that develop later in a child's life. In reality, a parent-child relationship can emerge or dissolve over time: the parents of person A as an adolescent or adult may be different to her parents when she is a young child. To address this aspect of parenthood, we propose a new 'mutuality account' of parenthood, grounded in the concept of ontological security. We argue that in most cases a parent-child relationship exists if there is mutual ontological security between the parent and child. We suggest that this mutual ontological security is constituted and sustained by shared frameworks of reality and cohesive personal narratives. Our intention is to broaden the conceptual understanding of parenthood, to include parent-child relationships that do not fall neatly into current bioethical accounts, and to argue against the notion that objective physiological, causal, or social ties are necessary to 'make' a parent.

Accuracy of Electronic Health Record Documentation of Parental Presence: A Data Validation and Quality Improvement Analysis.

Parental presence in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is known to improve the health outcomes of an admitted infant. The use of the electronic health record (EHR) to analyze associations between parental presence and sociodemographic factors could provide important insights to families at greatest risk for limited presence during their infant's NICU stay, but there is little evidence about the accuracy of nonvital clinical measures such as parental presence in these datasets. A data validation study was conducted comparing the percentage agreement of an observational log of parental presence to the EHR documentation. Overall, high accuracy values were found when combining two methods of documentation. Additional stratification using a more specific measure, each chart's complete accuracy, instead of overall accuracy, revealed that night shift documentation was more accurate than day shift documentation (76.3% accurate during night shifts, 55.2% accurate during day shifts) and that flowsheet (FS) recordings were more accurate than the free-text plan of care (POC) notes (82.4% accurate for FS, 75.1% accurate for POC notes). This research provides a preliminary look at the accuracy of EHR documentation of nonclinical factors and can serve as a methodological roadmap for other researchers who intend to use EHR data.

A Comparison of Effectiveness of Attention Process Training (APT) with Parenting Management Training (PMT) in Reducing Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Objective: Child-oriented psychotherapies, such as Attention Process Training (APT), target ADHD symptoms directly, whereas family-oriented interventions, like Parent Management Training (PMT), address its functional impairments. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of APT and PMT in treating ADHD symptoms. Method : This research was a randomized controlled trial in which 45 children (26 females and 19 males, with a mean age of 8.47 ± 1.66 years) with ADHD were selected conveniently and assigned randomly to one of three groups (PMT = 15, APT = 15, and CTRL = 15). The groups had no significant differences in ADHD severity. The PMT children were managed with parenting techniques. Children in the APT group practiced attention techniques, while children in the control group did not receive any intervention. Ritalin was prescribed to all the children in the three groups. The score on the Conners Parenting Rating Scale-Revised: Short form was the outcome variable. Results: Both interventions decreased ADHD symptoms severity more than the control group. Howver, the reduction in the APT group was more than in the PMT group (P-value < 0.001). The scores of 40% of the APT group and 80% of the PMT group did not fall below the cut-off point. In the APT group after the intervention, the inattention subscale was significantly lower than the hyperactivity subscale, while in the PMT group, the hyperactivity subscale was lower. The effect sizes of APT and PMT were 2.18 and 2.09, respectively. Conclusion: For ADHD, psychological interventions are crucial in addition to medication. According to the results of this study, APT is more effective for inattention symptoms, while PMT is more effective for hyperactivity symptoms. When selecting psychotherapy, the subtype of ADHD should be taken into account. Treatment sessions must also be completed according to intervention protocols.

Correlations between the screen time of children with special needs and their parent-child relationships, home participation, and occupational performance.

This study aimed to examine the relationships between the screen time of children with special needs and of their parents with their home participation, occupational performance, and parent-child relationships according to sex and diagnosis. Parents of 150 children with special needs (age range, 4 to 6 years) such as autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, as well as undiagnosed and developmentally risky children, were included. The Demographic Information Form, Screen Time Usage Form, Parent-Child Relationship Scale, Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth, and Short Child Occupational Profile were used for the data collection. There was a significant relationship between the screen time of girls and their parent-child relationships, home participation, and occupational performance. Moreover, we detected a relationship between the screen time of children with autism spectrum disorder and positive parent-child relationships, home participation, and occupational performance. Therapists should account for screen time in their interventions associated with parent-child relationships, home participation, and occupational performance.

Longitudinal relations between child emotional difficulties and parent-child closeness: a stability and malleability analysis using the STARTS model.

BACKGROUND: Past empirical evidence on the longitudinal relations between emotional mental health symptoms and parent-child close relationships has produced mixed and inconclusive results. Some studies suggest a unidirectional relation, whereas other studies point toward a bidirectional association. Additionally, most of the past research has been carried out with adolescent samples, rather than children. Hence, this study aimed to estimate the longitudinal relations between children's trait emotional difficulties and trait parent-child closeness, accounting for the time-invariant and time-varying state components of each factor. METHODS: Participants were 7,507 children (ages 3 years, 5 years, 7 years, and 9 years) from the Growing Up in Ireland cohort. Α bivariate stable trait, autoregressive trait, and state (STARTS) model was estimated using Bayesian structural equation modelling. RESULTS: The STARTS model revealed that children's emotional difficulties and parent-child closeness were relatively stable across time, and these overarching traits were strongly negatively correlated. Children's earlier trait emotional difficulties predicted later trait parent-child closeness and vice versa between 3 years and 5 years, and between 5 years and 7 years, but these effects disappeared between 7 years and 9 years. At all pairs of time points, state emotional difficulties and state parent-child closeness were weakly negatively correlated. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the results suggest that early and middle childhood are critical stages for improving parent-child relationships and reducing children's emotional difficulties. Developing close parent-child relationships in childhood appears to be a key factor in reducing children's subsequent emotional difficulties. Children who face greater than usual emotional difficulties tend to be more withdrawn and less receptive to close parent-child relationships and this could serve as an important screening indicator.

Maternal Borderline Personality Disorder Severity and Parenting Behaviors During Conflict Discussions With Adolescent Offspring.

Examining the impact of maternal borderline personality disorder (BPD) on parent-child interactions could elucidate pathways of intergenerational risk and inform intervention. The current study used an expanded version of the Observing Mediational Interactions to investigate (a) associations between maternal BPD symptom severity and mediational parenting behaviors during conflict discussions with clinically referred early adolescent offspring (N = 56, age = 10-15, 54% female) and their mothers, and (b) the potential moderating role of early adolescent BPD symptom severity in those associations. Consistent with hypotheses, mothers with higher levels of BPD symptom severity engaged in fewer positive emotional/attachment-based behaviors and more negative (i.e., invalidating, controlling, coercive, or insensitive) parenting behaviors. Only parent-reported, but not self-reported, adolescent BPD severity moderated these associations; maternal BPD severity was significantly associated only with negative parenting in dyads with low-to-moderate levels of parent-reported adolescent BPD severity. We discuss implications including targeting attachment-based and negative parenting behaviors in intervention.

A longitudinal study of child adjustment during the COVID-19 pandemic: the protective role of the parent-child relationship in middle childhood.

This longitudinal study assessed how parent-child relationship quality during the first COVID-19 lockdown was related to changes in internalizing, externalizing, and sleep problems during the first months of the pandemic: during lockdown, partial deconfinement, and total deconfinement. Participants included 167 children (9-12 year) and their parents recruited in the province of Quebec, Canada. Child behavior problems decreased between lockdown and the two deconfinement assessments, but more sleep and behavior problems were associated with lower levels of relationship quality (more conflict, less closeness, and more insecure attachment). Significant interaction effects showed that changes in externalizing and sleep problems varied as a function of parent-child relationship. Results support the critical importance of the parent-child relationship with regard to child adjustment in middle childhood in times of crisis such as a pandemic. They also highlight resilience in children aged 9 to 12, with a decrease in problems over time.

Interplay between Children's Electronic Media Use and Prosocial Behavior: The Chain Mediating Role of Parent-Child Closeness and Emotion Regulation.

In the contemporary digital milieu, children's pervasive engagement with electronic media is ubiquitous in their daily lives, presenting complex implications for their socialization. Prosocial behavior, a cornerstone of social interaction and child development, is intricately intertwined with these digital experiences. This relation gains further depth, considering the significant roles of parent-child relationships and emotion regulation in shaping children's social trajectories. This study surveyed 701 families to examine the association between children's electronic media use and prosocial behavior, specifically exploring the mediating roles of parent-child closeness and emotion regulation. Structural equation modeling was employed for the analysis. Children's electronic media use negatively correlated with prosocial behavior, parent-child closeness, and emotion regulation. In contrast, a positive association emerged between parent-child closeness, emotion regulation, and prosocial behavior. Emotion regulation also correlated positively with prosocial behavior. Statistical analyses revealed that parent-child closeness and emotion regulation function as both individual and sequential mediators in the relation between electronic media use and prosocial behavior. The study's analyses reveal that fostering children's prosocial behavior in the digital era requires strong family ties, effective emotional management, and balanced digital exposure, which are pivotal for their comprehensive development.