Relationship between Paternal and Maternal Parenting Style with Internet Addiction Level of Adolescents

Objective: Internet addiction has become a major problem worldwide, especially for adolescents. Adolescents are considered vulnerable and at risk of internet addiction due to the immature self-control, easy access, and flexible schedule. Parenting style has a significant influence on the incidence of internet addiction in adolescents. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between paternal and maternal parenting style toward internet addiction level of adolescents at one of junior high Schools in Surabaya, Indonesia. Method: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 114 adolescents (44 boys and 70 girls) aged ranging from 12 to 15 in a junior high school in Surabaya, Indonesia, were recruited by stratified random sampling method in November 2019. The Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and Parental Authority Questionnaire (PAQ) were used to measure internet addiction level, and maternal and paternal parenting style of adolescents. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and multiple regression tests with IBM SPSS Statistics 25 to adjust the relationship between paternal and maternal parenting style toward internet addiction level of adolescents. Results: a total of 77.2% of adolescents were internet addicts and the majority experienced ‘mild’ internet addiction level (52.60%). Furthermore, the Pearson correlation results indicated that paternal permissive and authoritarian parenting styles were positively correlated with internet addiction level of adolescents. The multiple regression analysis results indicated that paternal permissive parenting style significantly predicted adolescents’ internet addiction level. Conclusion: This study highlighted the significant role of paternal permissive and authoritarian parenting styles among adolescents’ internet addiction.