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Funding was provided by Fundacion Universitaria San Pablo-CEU: Proyectos identitarios.

Analysis of institutional authors

Rincon, EstherCorresponding AuthorPineda-Rafols, AdrianaAuthor

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July 30, 2025
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Are parent training programs useful for reducing problematic or addictive use of technology in children? A systematic review

Publicated to:Computers In Human Behavior Reports. 18 100672- - 2025-05-01 18(), DOI: 10.1016/j.chbr.2025.100672

Authors: Rincon, Esther; Pineda-Rafols, Adriana; Perez, Moises; San-Martin-Suarez, Julia; Egea-Romero, Maria P

Affiliations

Univ San Pablo CEU, CEU Univ, Fac Med, Dept Psicol & Pedag, Boadilla Del Monte 28660, Spain - Author
Univ San Pablo CEU, CEU Univ, Inst Univ Estudios Adicc IEA CEU, Boadilla Del Monte 28660, Spain - Author
Univ San Pablo CEU, CEU Univ, Psychotechnol Lab, Urbanizac Monteprincipe, Boadilla Del Monte 28660, Spain - Author

Abstract

Awareness regarding the problematic use of screen media by children has increased in recent years. The rate of technological addiction, referred to as "behavioral addiction" by the World Health Organization, is rising as well. This is a serious mental health concern, especially as it can have negative consequences for children and adolescents, as well as their families. The main features, uses, and prevention strategies developed in parent training programs aimed at avoiding problematic or addictive use of technology in children have only been slightly addressed in the scientific literature. In all likelihood, this is probably the first systematic review to focus specifically on these areas. The purpose of this study is to review the scientific research published over the last decade in order to answer the following three questions: (1) Are parent training programs useful in reducing problematic or addictive use of technology in children and adolescents? (2) What are the advantages and disadvantages of these programs? (3) Are the parents who participate in these programs satisfied with the results after attending the training? We systematically examined the peer-reviewed literature from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOS), Medline, and Scopus, adhering to the PRISMA statement. Only Journal articles published from 2013 to February 2024 and written in the English language were reviewed. A total of 250 studies were obtained, of which seven were finally selected. The results provide a complete overview of the most useful strategies for empowering parents with new skills, insights, and knowledge for the purpose of reducing problematic and addictive use of technology at home.

Keywords

AdolescentsBehavioral addictionsCommunicationGaming disorderInternet addictionInterventionsMediaMental-healthMetaanalysiParentingPreventionProblematic internet useRiskSmartphone addictionTechnology addictionTraining programTraining programs

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Computers In Human Behavior Reports due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2025, it was in position 13/221, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Psychology, Multidisciplinary. Notably, the journal is positioned above the 90th percentile.

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-08-10:

  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 8 (PlumX).

Leadership analysis of institutional authors

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (Rincón Férnandez, Maria Esther) and Last Author (Egea-Romero, Maria P).

the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been Rincón Férnandez, Maria Esther.