Intergenerational Echoes: Dyadic Associations between Parental and Child Adverse Childhood Experiences, Problematic Smartphone Use, and Depression

Background: Problematic smartphone use has become increasingly common in family settings. Although growing attention has been paid to its role in family dynamics and mental health, it remains unclear how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), problematic smartphone use, and depression are associated, especially within parent–child dyads. Using the Actor–Partner Interdependence Mediation Model (APIMeM), this study explores whether problematic smartphone use mediates the associations between parental and child ACEs and their depression.

Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from 428 parent-child dyads (including 133 father-child dyads and 295 mother-child dyads; Child M_age = 12.69, SD = 0.65) in Mainland China. Parents and children completed standardized measures to assess their ACEs, problematic smartphone use, and depressive symptoms separately. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to estimate an actor-partner interdependence mediation model, with indirect effects evaluated using 1000 bootstrap resamples.

Results: Parental ACEs were positively associated with their own problematic smartphone use (β = 0.210, p < 0.001) and with child problematic smartphone use (β = 0.100, p < 0.05). Child ACEs were associated with greater child problematic smartphone use (β = 0.203, p < 0.001) but not with parental problematic smartphone use. Problematic smartphone use primarily operated through cross-partner effects: parental problematic smartphone use was associated with higher depressive symptoms of their children (β = 0.302, p < 0.001), and child problematic smartphone use was associated with higher depressive symptoms of their parents (β = 0.331, p < 0.001). Meanwhile, parental ACEs were directly associated with child depression (β = 0.293, p < 0.001), and child ACEs were also positively associated with parental depression (β = 0.283, p < 0.001). Results of bootstrapping analyses supported the mediating role of problematic smartphone use in the relationship between ACEs and depression among parent–child dyads.

Implications: These findings suggest that adverse childhood experiences can transmit depressive risk across generations through problematic smartphone use, primarily via cross-partner spillover effects. From a practical standpoint, family-based interventions may benefit from integrating trauma-informed care with strategies that address problematic smartphone use, particularly given that parents’ and children’s smartphone use appear to affect each other’s mental health. The results also highlight the value of examining dyadic processes in understanding how early adversity shapes family mental health outcomes.