Children's Internet Addiction, Family-to-Work Conflict, and Job Outcomes: A Study of Parent-Child Dyads

MIS Quarterly, Vol. 43, No. 3 (2019), pp. 903-927.

45 Pages Posted: 24 Sep 2019 Last revised: 6 Oct 2021

See all articles by Viswanath Venkatesh

Viswanath Venkatesh

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University - Pamplin College of Business

Tracy Sykes

University of Arkansas

Frank K. Y. Chan

ESSEC Business School

James Y.L. Thong

HKUST Business School

Paul J. H. Hu

University of Utah - Department of Operations and Information Systems

Date Written: 2019

Abstract

This paper examines the role of parenting behaviors in influencing children’s Internet addiction and the consequences of children’s Internet addiction on parents’ job outcomes. First, we draw on attachment theory to theorize that five parenting behaviors (i.e., parental control, monitoring, unstructured time, dissuasion, and rationalization) affect children’s Internet addiction and their effects are moderated by the children’s views of parent-child attachment. Second, we draw on research on the work-family interface to theorize that children’s Internet addiction affects parents’ job outcomes (i.e., job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and work exhaustion) and the effects are mediated by family-to-work conflict. We tested our hypotheses using an integrated research approach that includes quantitative and qualitative data. We conducted an online survey to collect quantitative responses from 776 parent-child dyads. The results of our model showed that the effects of parenting behaviors on children’s Internet addiction, except for dissuasion, were moderated by the children’s views of parent-child attachment. Also, family-to-work conflict mediated the effects of children’s Internet addiction on parents’ job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and work exhaustion. We collected qualitative data via interviews from 50 parents to cross-validate the results from the quantitative study.

Keywords: family-to-work conflict, Internet addiction, parent-child attachment, parent-child dyads, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, work exhaustion, dark side of IT

Suggested Citation

Venkatesh, Viswanath and Sykes, Tracy Ann and Chan, Frank K. Y. and Thong, James Y.L. and Hu, Paul J. H., Children's Internet Addiction, Family-to-Work Conflict, and Job Outcomes: A Study of Parent-Child Dyads (2019). MIS Quarterly, Vol. 43, No. 3 (2019), pp. 903-927., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3453726

Viswanath Venkatesh

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University - Pamplin College of Business ( email )

VA
United States

HOME PAGE: http://vvenkatesh.com

Tracy Ann Sykes

University of Arkansas ( email )

United States

Frank K. Y. Chan

ESSEC Business School ( email )

3 Avenue Bernard Hirsch
CS 50105 CERGY
CERGY, CERGY PONTOISE CEDEX 95021
France

James Y.L. Thong (Contact Author)

HKUST Business School ( email )

Clear Water Bay
Kowloon
Hong Kong

HOME PAGE: http://jthong.people.ust.hk/

Paul J. H. Hu

University of Utah - Department of Operations and Information Systems ( email )

1645 E Campus Center Drive
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
United States

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