Characteristics and parental viewpoints regarding digital device use in children aged 4 to 8 years

In the present digital age, the number of digital devices and media has multiplied, giving young children and their parents access to them anytime and anywhere. The family and home environment constitutes an important ecological context for fostering and supporting the development of safe online behaviour, as well as preventing risky online behaviour in young children. During childhood, parents play an influential role in shaping a child’s use of digital technology (DT) devices through parental practices that are shaped by their beliefs about DT. The first aim of this study was to describe preferred digital devices, activities, and emotional states related to digital device use among children aged 4 to 8 years. The second aim was to describe parental viewpoints about their children’s device use. The data was collected through online interviews with 31 children (16 girls), aged 4 to 8 years, and one parent of each of the children included in the project “Digital technology in the family: patterns of behaviour and effects on child development”. The results show that smartphones are the children’s favourite device and playing video games is their preferred digital activity. Most children reported feeling happy when they used DT devices, as well as feeling sad and angry when they had to stop using them. Parental motivation for providing children access to DT devices can be child- and parent-oriented. Parents frequently emphasised the educational aspects of their children’s device use, but they were aware of the negative and positive effects on the children’s functioning. The findings indicate that children’s daily context of living in association with DT usage is characterised by small, portable devices that are used mainly for entertainment. Additionally, their parents allow the use of such devices because they believe that DT can have a positive impact on child development, and they need to occupy children’s attention in specific situations. However, DT device usage is limited due to the awareness of the negative impact on child development

Istraživanje roditeljske percepcije digitalne tehnologije kod djece predškolske dobi u dvije točke mjerenja

To get a better understanding of the parental perception of digital devices used by preschool children in Croatia, as well as their expectations and mediation strategies, we report the findings from a qualitative study with two measurement points. At the first point, five families with children aged 6 to 7 were interviewed at their homes, where they provided information on how their children engage with new technologies, how such technologies are perceived by different family members and how parents manage their children’s use of digital technology. A year and a half later, the same families were interviewed again, in a similar manner, focusing on the changes which happened in that period, as reported by the parents. Results show that parents find digital technology important and beneficial for children’s cognitive and emotional development, but they fear possible negative consequences of its use. Most often, they use restrictive mediation. A year and a half later, parents also express the need for more educational support when it comes to mediating their children’s interaction with digital technology.Kako bismo istražili kakva je percepcija digitalne tehnologije od strane roditelja predškolske djece u Hrvatskoj, kakva je roditeljska medijacija dječjih interakcija s digitalnim uređajima, proveli smo kvalitativno istraživanje s dva mjerenja. U prvom istraživanju provedeno je pet dubinskih intervjua s petero roditelja i njihove djece u dobi od 6 i 7 godina na temu upotrebe digitalne tehnologije. U ponovljenom istraživanju, godinu i pol dana kasnije, dubinskim intervjuima s istih pet obitelji, ispitali smo je li i u kojoj mjeri došlo do promjena u navedenim varijablama. Rezultati pokazuju kako roditelji digitalne medije često smatraju važnim za kognitivni i emocionalni razvoj djece, no istovremeno se pribojavaju mogućih negativnih posljedica njihova korištenja. Najčešće primjenjuju restriktivne oblike medijacije. Godinu i pol dana kasnije roditelji sve jasnije ističu kako im je potrebna potpora i daljnja edukacija o tome kako moderirati dječje interakcije s digitalnom tehnologijom

Mental health issues, needs, and challenges faced by children and adolescents during public health emergencies: a study based on the perspective of educators

Public health emergencies, including catastrophic events such as pandemics and natural disasters, as well as the rise of diseases caused by high-threat pathogens result in specific and often critically threatening situations (WHO, 2023). This study aimed to examine the perception of educators (e.g., teachers and trainers) in Croatia regarding the mental health issues, needs, and challenges faced by children and adolescents during public health emergencies, as well as the risk and protective factors associated with mental health issues. Data was collected using two focus groups that included a total of 12 educators (e.g., teachers, sports trainers, kindergarten teachers, and so on) who work with children and adolescents. The results were analysed using thematic analyses and showed that the symptoms observed most often in children were fear, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, sleep problems, behavioural problems, and concentration problems. Educators also provided insights into the broader context in which these symptoms were evident and highlighted their personal need for additional support and education. Furthermore, they listed various protective and risk factors that, in their opinion, could influence the coping abilities of children faced with a crisis. These findings are important for the creation of programmes that aim to protect the mental health of children during and after public emergencies, as well as to train those working with children in order to help them recognise the needs of children and adolescents and find ways of providing help

Upotreba digitalne tehnologije tijekom pandemije COVID-19 i povezanost s kvalitetom spavanja te zadovoljstvom životom kod djece i roditelja

This research aimed to examine digital technology (DT) use, sleep quality (SQ), and the correlations between these variables in children and parents, in Croatia during the lockdown. Furthermore, it aimed to determine parental life satisfaction (LS) and its relation to DT use. In an online questionnaire, 281 parents of children (3 to 14 years old) provided information about the duration of DT activities throughout the pandemic, compared to the time before the pandemic, the time spent using digital devices in a typical day, and SQ for themselves and their children, as well as the estimates of personal LS. The results show that the relationship between DT use and SQ during the lockdown differs between parents and children. More time spent using DT devices is not related to SQ in parents, and more time spent on smartphones is positively associated with parents\u27 LS. In children, the prolonged use of smartphones for leisure is negatively linked to SQ. These results call for caution in allowing children longer screen time.Cilj je ovog istraživanja bio ispitati obilježja upotrebe digitalne tehnologije (DT), kvalitete spavanja (KS) i zadovoljstva životom (ZŽ) te korelacije između ovih varijabli kod djece i roditelja tijekom restriktivnih mjera. U online upitniku 281 roditelj djece od 3 do 14 godina dao je procjene o trajanju upotrebe DT-a za aktivnosti tijekom pandemije u usporedbi s trajanjem prije pandemije, trajanju upotrebe digitalnih uređaja tijekom tipičnoga dana te o kvaliteti spavanja za sebe i svoju djecu, kao i procjene o osobnom ZŽ-u. Rezultati pokazuju kako upotreba DT-a tijekom restriktivnih mjera nema isti obrazac povezanosti sa KS-om kod roditelja i djece. Za roditelje nema značajne povezanosti između upotrebe DT-a i KS-a te postoji pozitivna povezanost između trajanja upotrebe pametnih telefona i ZŽ-a. Kod djece je dulja upotreba pametnih telefona za zabavu negativno povezana sa KS-om. Rezultati pozivaju na oprez prilikom dopuštanja dulje upotrebe DT-a za djecu, čak i tijekom zatvaranja

The Relation of Children\u27s Mental State Talk to Family Characteristics and the Mental State Talk of Their Parents

Cilj istraživanja bio je utvrditi postoje li značajne povezanosti između različitih vrsta govora o mentalnim stanjima kod djece od 17 do 37 mjeseci te nekih obilježja obitelji (imovinskoga stanja, mogućnosti zadovoljavanja potreba domaćinstva, obrazovanja oca i majke, broja djece) te različitih vrsta govora o mentalnim stanjima roditelja. Prikupljeni su uzorci dječjega i roditeljskoga govora na temelju kojih je provedena analiza govora o mentalnom stanju želje, kao i mišljenja i vjerovanja te govora o emocijama. Ostali podatci prikupljeni su upitnikom. Rezultati pokazuju kako roditelji djece koja više govore o željama kao mentalnim stanjima više govore i o mentalnom stanju želje, ali i mišljenja i vjerovanja, no ne i o emocijama. Nadalje, roditelji djece koja su imala zabilježen barem jedan iskaz o željama kao mentalnim stanjima u većoj se mjeri referiraju na želje te mišljenje i vjerovanje nego roditelji djece kod koje nije zabilježen govor o željama. Nisu pronađene značajne povezanosti količine dječjega govora o željama kao mentalnim stanjima i obiteljskih obilježja. Rezultati upućuju na važnost izučavanja obilježja roditelja u kontekstu izučavanja dječjega govora o mentalnim stanjima, odnosno razvoja sposobnosti teorije uma.The aim of this research was to investigate the correlations of mental talk in children aged 17 to 37 months and some family characteristics: the socio-economic status, parents\u27 education, the number of siblings and parents\u27 mental talk. The participants were 106 children and one of their parents. We collected speech samples for children and their parents to analyze their mental state talk about desires, thoughts and emotions. Other data were collected from one of the parents through a questionnaire. The results show that the parents of children who had more mental state of desire talk, talked more about desires and about thoughts as well, but not about emotions. Furthermore, parents whose children had at least one mental state of desire utterance talked significantly more about desires and thoughts than parents whose children had no such utterances. There were no significant correlations between children\u27s mental state talk about desires and other family variables. The results point to the importance of studying family characteristics in relation to children\u27s mental state talk, which is considered an indicator of theory of mind development

Engagement with digital media in home environment and school readiness in croatian preschool children

Our aim was to investigate the use of various digital media for different purposes in home environment and its relation to the level of school readiness, namely graphomotor skills, logical reasoning and letter knowledge in children aged 6 to 7. Children (N=92) were tested for graphomotor skills, logical reasoning and letter knowledge while their parents completed a questionnaire providing us with the data about their own and their children’s access to digital media in home environment. Results show low but significant negative correlations between the time spent using a computer on weekends and the number of letters children can identify correctly, as well as between the time spent using a smartphone on weekends and children’s graphomotor skills.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Hrvatska adaptacija Revidirane verzije testa čitanja misli iz očiju

The aim of this research was to translate and adapt the revised version of the "Reading the mind in the eyes test" (Baron-Cohen et al., 2001) to the Croatian language, and to provide preliminary data on its reliability, factor structure and convergent validity in a healthy population of Croatian students. After translation and adaptation, the Croatian version of the RMET was administered to 146 undergraduate and graduate students (84 female and 62 male participants). Together with the RMET, we administered the Emotional Empathy Scale (Raboteg-Šarić, 1993). Results show low internal consistency reliability of the Croatian adaptation of the RMET and adequate reliability measured with maximal reliability H coefficient. Confirmatory factor analysis marginally supports the unidimensional model. Convergent validity was marginally confirmed by a significant positive correlation between REMT and empathy. Additionally, we created a short version of the RMET, showing adequate fit indices, but containing only seven items. Internal consistency reliability and composite reliability for this scale were satisfactory. We propose further investigation of psychometric properties of the Croatian adaptation of the RMET with research in general, more representative population. We also propose investigating test-retest reliability, as well as discriminant validity of the test.Cilj je ovog istraživanja prijevod i adaptacija revidirane verzije Testa čitanja misli iz očiju (Reading the mind in the eyes test, Baron-Cohen i sur., 2001) na hrvatski jezik kako bi se ispitala njegova pouzdanost, faktorska struktura te konvergentna valjanost u populaciji hrvatskih studenata urednog razvoja. Nakon prijevoda i adaptacije hrvatska je verzija Testa čitanja misli iz očiju primijenjena na uzorku od 146 studenata preddiplomskih i diplomskih studija (84 djevojke i 62 mladića). Osim Testa čitanja misli iz očiju primijenjena je i Skala emocionalne empatije (Raboteg-Šarić, 1993). Rezultati pokazuju nisku pouzdanost tipa unutarnje konzistencije te prihvatljivu pouzdanost mjerenu Hkoeficijentom maksimalne pouzdanosti. Konfirmatorna faktorska analiza granično potvrđuje jednodimenzionalni model. Konvergentna valjanost granično je potvrđena kroz statistički značajnu pozitivnu povezanost Testa čitanja misli iz očiju i empatije. Naposljetku, kreirana je i kratka verzija Testa čitanja misli iz očiju koja se sastoji od svega sedam čestica zadovoljavajućih saturacija. Pouzdanost tipa unutarnje konzistencije te kompozitna pouzdanost ovoga kratkog testa su zadovoljavajuće. U budućim je istraživanjima potrebno dodatno ispitati psihometrijske značajke hrvatske verzije Testa čitanja misli u očima u općoj reprezentativnoj populaciji. Nadalje, potrebno je ispitati test-retest pouzdanost te diskriminativnu valjanost ovog testa

RELATEDNESS OF PERSONALITY DIMENSIONS AND READING HABITS OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Cilj je ovoga rada istražiti povezanost osobina ličnosti prema velepetoromu modelu, ekstraverzije, emocionalne stabilnosti, ugodnosti, savjesnosti te intelekta, s čitalačkim navikama srednjoškolaca jedne strukovne srednje škole iz Osijeka te ispitati mogućnost predviđanja količine čitanja na temelju dimenzija ličnosti, uz kontrolu utjecaja spola, dobi i školskoga uspjeha. Prikazani rezultati dio su opsežnijega istraživanja provedenoga u sklopu istraživanja o predrasudama i stavovima. Ukupno 103 sudionika, u dobi od 14 do 20 godina, ispunila su kratki upitnik o navikama čitanja te IPIP 50 inventar ličnosti. Upitnik o navikama čitanja omogućio nam je uvid u to koliko sudionici procjenjuju,u usporedbi s drugim učenicima u školi, da često čitaju knjige, koliko uživaju u čitanju vijesti te koliko uživaju u čitanju knjiga. Rezultati pokazuju kako postoji umjerena, ali bitna pozitivna povezanost između procijenjene učestalosti čitanja knjiga, kao i procjene užitka u čitanju knjiga s dimenzijom intelekta (r=.347, p<.01te r=.276, p<.05). Preostale dimenzije ličnosti nisu bitno povezane s navikama čitanja. Nadalje, na temelju osobina ličnosti, uz kontrolu spola, dobi i školskoga uspjeha, moguće je predvidjeti oko 20 % varijance količine čitanja, pri čemu je od dimenzija ličnosti jedini važan prediktor intelekt.The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship of personality dimension defined by the Big Five personality model: extraversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, consciousness and intellect, with reading habits among Croatian high school students from the city of Osijek region. Furthermore, we wanted to investigate the ability to predict reading quantity based on personality dimensions, with the contribution of factors such as age, gender and school success. The results displayed are a part of a larger study on prejudice and attitudes. A total of 103 participants, aged from 14 to 20 years, filled in a short questionnaire about how much, compared to other pupils from their school, they read books, enjoy reading news and how many books they read in a year. Also, they completed a short version of IPIP 50 personality questionnaire. Results show a significant positive correlation between how much the participants read and how much they enjoy reading books with the intellect personality dimension (r=.347, p<.01 and r=.276, p<.05 respectively). Other personality dimensions showed no significant correlations with reading variables. In hierarchical regression analyses, after controlling for the effect of age, gender and school success, the Big Five model of personality was able to predict around 20 % of variance of reading quantity, with the intellect being the only significant predictor

Is There a Longitudinal Effect of Different Types of Digital Technology Use on Preadolescents’ Subjective Well-Being?

This study aims to explore the possibility of predicting changes in preadolescents’ subjective well-being (SWB) indicators, namely life satisfaction (LS), positive (PA) and negative affect (NA), based on how often they engage in different activities using digital technology (DT). Exploratory, it examines whether gender and age moderate links between DT usage and well-being. The study is conducted using self-report measures at two time points, with one year apart. Participants were 1379 elementary school pupils from Croatia (48% were boys), aged from 8 to 13 (M = 11.03, SD = 1.14) at the first time point. LS was assessed using BMSLSS (Seligson et al., 2003). PA and NA were assessed using PANAS-C scale (Ebesutani et al., 2012). Finally, participants indicated how often they engage in different activities using digital technology: use of social media (using social networks, texting with friends, posting online), playing video games, and watching TV. Only social media use predicted a small decrease in LS one year later. Different types of DT use did not predict changes in PA. These models were the same for boys and girls, and for younger and older preadolescents. Changes in NA were not related to any of the DT predictors. However, differential effects were observed for boys and girls with playing video games emerging as a positive predictor of NA for girls only. All observed effects were very small. These findings point to the importance of evaluating individual contribution of different activities that preadolescents engage in with the use of digital technology to their SWB

Bezüge zwischen individuellen Charakteristiken von Kindern mit Schulangst und dem gewalttätigen Verhalten vonseiten der Altersgenossen in der Schule

Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati u kojoj su mjeri strah od škole i izloženost nasilju od vršnjaka prisutni kod učenika viših razreda osnovne škole te provjeriti postoje li razlike u izraženosti ovih pojava s obzirom na dob i spol učenika, kao i ispitati povezanost obilježja učenika, poput njihova spola, dobi, samopoštovanja te socijalnih i organizacijskih vještina, sa strahom od škole i izloženosti nasilju od vršnjaka. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 4999 učenika viših razreda (od 5. do 8.) iz 49 hrvatskih osnovnih škola. Pronađene dobne i spolne razlike u ova dva kriterija pokazuju kako djevojčice te stariji učenici i učenice procjenjuju češću prisutnost straha od škole, dok dječaci te mlađi učenici i učenice viših razreda osnovne škole procjenjuju da su češće izloženi nasilju svojih vršnjaka. Strah od škole u najvećoj mjeri osjećaju starije djevojčice, dok su vršnjačkom nasilju najčešće izloženi mlađi dječaci. Jedini je značajni prediktor straha od škole samopoštovanje učenika, dok se izloženost nasilju vršnjaka može predvidjeti na temelju samopoštovanja i socijalnih vještina. Osim što samopouzdaniji učenici osjećaju manje straha od škole, oni su, uz učenike s boljim socijalnim vještinama, manje izloženi nasilju vršnjaka. Moguća praktična primjena rezultata razmatra se u smjeru potrebe razvoja preventivnih programa u školskom okruženju.The aim of our research was to investigate the prevalence of fear of school and between peer victimization in Croatian primary schools and to determine possible gender and age differences. An additional aim was to try to predict how fear of school and victimization are related to students’ personal characteristics such as self-esteem, social and organizational skills. The sample included 4999 fifth- to eighth-grade primary school students from 49 Croatian schools. The results show gender and age differences in the presence of fear of school that point to girls and older students experiencing more fear. The significant interaction effect shows that most experiences of fear of school can be found in older girls. The obtained gender and age differences in peer victimization point to boys and younger students reporting more experiences of victimization, and significant interaction effect shows that younger boys are the group most exposed to peer harassment. The hierarchical regression analyses show that fear of school can be significantly predicted based on students’ self-esteem, while peer victimization can be predicted based on student’s self- -esteem as well as their social skills. Students with more self- -esteem experience less fear of school, and students who have better social skills as well as more self-esteem are less likely to be victimized by peers. Practical implications of the findings are considered for development of prevention programs in the school setting.Die Autorinnen dieser Untersuchung wollten ermitteln, in welchem Maße Schulangst und das Erdulden gewalttätigen Verhaltens vonseiten der Mitschüler in den höheren Grundschulklassen* gegenwärtig ist. Es sollte geprüft werden, ob sich in der Ausprägung dieser Erscheinungen die Schüler hinsichtlich Alter und Geschlechtszugehörigkeit unterscheiden. Des Weiteren wollten die Autorinnen herausfinden, ob es zwischen Schülermerkmalen – Geschlecht, Alter, Selbstwertgefühl sowie soziale und organisatorische Fertigkeiten – einerseits und Schulangst sowie Gewalt vonseiten der Mitschüler andererseits einen Zusammenhang gebe. An der Untersuchung waren 4999 Schüler der höheren Grundschulklassen (Klasse 5 bis 8) aus 49 kroatischen Grundschulen beteiligt. Zu den beiden genannten Kriterien konnten Unterschiede zwischen den Kindern bezüglich Alter und Geschlecht ermittelt werden: Mädchen sowie ältere Schülerinnen und Schüler leiden häufiger an Schulangst, während Jungen, jüngere Schüler sowie Schülerinnen der höheren Grundschulklassen den Eindruck haben, öfter dem gewalttätigen Verhalten ihrer Mitschüler ausgesetzt zu sein. Ein wesentlicher Effekt des wechselseitigen Bezuges dieser Phänomene ist die Tatsache, dass meist ältere Mädchen Schulangst haben, während es meist kleinere Jungen sind, die Gewalt vonseiten ihrer Altersgenossen erdulden müssen. Die durchgeführten hierarchischen Regressionsanalysen ergaben, dass das Selbstwertgefühl der einzige bedeutende Prädiktor für Schulangst ist, für Gewalterfahrung durch Altersgenossen hingegen sind dies das eigene Selbstwertgefühl und soziale Fertigkeiten. Mit anderen Worten: Schüler mit einem ausgeprägteren Selbstbewusstsein empfinden weniger Schulangst; auf dieselbe Weise sind selbstbewusstere Schüler sowie solche mit besseren sozialen Fertigkeiten seltener der Gewalt vonseiten ihrer Mitschüler ausgesetzt. Die praktischen Implikationen der gewonnenen Resultate werden abschließend vor dem Hintergrund von Präventionsprogrammen erörtert, die zukünftig an Schulen entwickelt werden müssen