Examining The Reciprocal Interplay between Parental Restrictive Mediation, Styles of Mediation, and Adolescent Problematic Gaming and Gambling: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study

Restrictive mediation, referring to parental strategies to limit adolescents’ gaming, aims to reduce gaming-related risks. Research grounded in Self-Determination Theory suggests that the style in which restrictions are communicated matters beyond the degree of restriction itself, with autonomy-supportive communication relating to fewer gaming problems and controlling communication relating to greater risk. However, most existing evidence is cross-sectional, leaving the directionality of these associations unclear. This longitudinal study across three annual waves followed 1,225 adolescents (43.95% female; Mage = 13.53) to examine bidirectional associations between the degree and communication styles of restrictive mediation and adolescents’ problematic gaming and gaming-related gambling behaviors. Results revealed bidirectional negative associations between autonomy-supportive communication styles and problematic gaming and online gambling, indicating that autonomy-supportive communication predicted decreases in both, while higher levels of these problems, in turn, predicted declines in autonomy-supportive communication. Restrictive mediation as such showed limited direct effects but was associated with subsequent decreases in gambling. Controlling communication did not predict changes in outcomes but consistently intensified the spillover from problematic gaming to gambling over time. Overall, the findings highlight the transactional nature of parent–adolescent interactions and underscore the importance of autonomy-supportive communication when setting limits to reduce gaming-related risks.