Effects of emotion coaching group programme for mothers of preschool children with smart device overdependence: a mixed methods study

BACKGROUND: Smart device overdependence adversely affects the overall development of preschool children. This study aimed to provide an emotion coaching group programme to mothers raising preschool children who are overly dependent on smart devices and to confirm the programme’s effectiveness. METHODS: This concurrent embedded mixed methods study used a non-equivalent control group pre-post design to verify the quantitative effect of the programme, and a descriptive research design to verify the qualitative effect. The study collected data from June 2019 to March 2021 from 51 (25 experimental, 26 control) mothers raising children aged 3–6 years in South Korea. The quantitative study examined the effects of an eight-session programme, conducted once a week for two hours, on mothers’ emotional intelligence, parenting behaviour, and their children’s attachment stability and smart device overdependence using a non-equivalent control group pre-post design. The analysis used a generalized estimate equation. For qualitative research, focus group interviews were used as a descriptive research design method, and content analysis was used for analysis. RESULTS: Quantitatively, the results showed significant differences between the experimental and control groups in terms of changes in maternal emotional intelligence (χ(2) = 14.99, p = .001), maternal positive parenting behaviour (χ(2) = 9.32, p = .009), children’s unstable attachment to their mothers (χ(2) = 9.49, p = .009), and children’s overdependence on smart devices (χ(2) = 14.48, p = .001). Qualitatively, the study derived five themes for the experiences of mothers who participated in the programme: “hope for desirable parenting without emotional difficulties,” “feelings touched by reflection,” “warm but authoritative parenting,” “children who became responsible by gaining psychological stability,” and “changed view of my home.” CONCLUSIONS: The emotion coaching group programme was effective in improving the emotional intelligence and parenting behaviour of mothers raising preschool children. The programme also improved preschool children’s attachment stability to their mothers and overdependence on smart devices. The programme can be useful in community practice, and the present study can be used as evidence for education and research related to device overdependence.