Pham Quang Dao

Background. Parenting styles shape children’s academic performance and psychological well-being, yet previous research has not distinguished the separate effects of fathers and mothers on boys and girls, nor has it examined the mediating role of social comparison in these relationships.

Objective. To examine gender-specific differences in the effects of fathers’ and mothers’ parenting styles and explore the mediating role of social comparison among Vietnamese high school students.

Design. A sample of Vietnamese high school students (N = 661) completed self-report measures assessing perceived parenting styles, social comparison, academic performance, and psychological distress levels.

Results. The findings revealed that while fathers’ authoritative and authoritarian styles were not significantly associated with boys’ academic performance, authoritarian parenting was linked to lower academic outcomes among girls. Fathers’ permissive style showed a positive association with girls’ academic performance but was also related to higher distress levels across both genders. For mothers, the authoritarian style appeared more detrimental to girls’ academic outcomes than to boys’, whereas the authoritative style was associated with lower distress only among girls. Regarding indirect effects, social comparison played a significant mediating role in several relationships, particularly for mothers’ parenting. Specifically, mothers’ authoritarian style was related to higher academic performance and greater distress through social comparison in both genders. Conversely, mothers’ authoritative style improved boys’ academic performance via social comparison, whereas fathers’ permissive style was associated with improved academic performance among girls and increased distress across genders through the same mechanism.

Conclusion. Our findings highlight the need for gender-sensitive parenting interventions that consider the distinct roles of fathers and mothers in shaping academic and psychological outcomes. Additionally, promoting healthy social comparison strategies in schools may help mitigate distress and enhance students’ academic motivation.

Background. Facebook* is one of the largest social media platforms in the world. The use of Facebook* can lead to several problems, such as Facebook* addiction. Previous studies have investigated the effects of reinforcing factors on problematic Facebook* use, but negative factors have been little studied.

Objective. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between motivation and Facebook* addiction, and examine the influence of positive and negative emotions, which serve as reinforcement and punishment when using Facebook*.

Design. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 294 university students in Vietnam, with a mean age of 19.93 and a standard deviation of 1.27. The Bergen Facebook* Addiction Scale, the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience, and the Motives for Facebook* Use Scale were used to collect the data. SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 20 software were used for data analysis.

Results. The results indicated that the students’ motivations to maintain relationships and pass time were positively associated with Facebook* usage, while motivations for virtual community, entertainment, “coolness,” and companionship did not significantly influence Facebook* usage. This use of Facebook* was found to elicit both positive and negative emotions. Both these emotions were associated with an increase in Facebook* addiction among the students.

Conclusion. These results support the view that Facebook* addiction is positively associated with satisfaction with Facebook* use, and that both positive and negative emotions are associated with an increase in Facebook* addiction. Several limitations of the study are clarified.