Articles
DOI DOI: 10.62441/actainnovations.v63i.1117

MULTIDIMENSIONAL PARENTING PROFILES AND PROBLEMATIC DIGITAL MEDIATION IN FAMILIES OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN: A PERSON-CENTERED ANALYSIS

Xiomara Paola Carrera Herrera 1, Yadira Ximena Gutiérrez Apolo 1, Jonathan Juan Manuel González Carias 1, Miury Marieliza Placencia Tapia2
  1. 1 Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Loja, Ecuador.
  2. 2 Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Loja, Ecuador.

Abstract

Parenting is often examined through variable-centered associations, although families may combine responsive, controlling, permissive, disengaged, and overprotective practices. This study identified multidimensional parenting profiles and examined their association with problematic digital mediation in families of preschool children. A cross-sectional secondary analysis was conducted with 195 family records containing complete scores on five dimensions of the Parenting Practices and Styles Questionnaire for Early Childhood Education. One- to five-profile Gaussian mixture models with diagonal covariance matrices were estimated. Model selection integrated information criteria, entropy, average posterior probability, class size, silhouette, bootstrap stability, and substantive interpretability. A three-profile solution provided the most defensible balance: formative-protective (43.6%), formative with vulnerable regulation (49.2%), and cumulative multi-risk (7.2%). Classification quality was adequate (entropy = .857; average posterior probability = .935), and agreement with a three-cluster k-means solution was high (ARI = .851). Profiles differed substantially in problematic digital mediation, H(2) = 37.68, p < .001, ε² = .186, with the cumulative multi-risk profile showing the highest score. No differences were found in reported screen duration or communication with teachers. The coexistence of positive and problematic practices challenges mutually exclusive parenting typologies and suggests that the relational function of screen use may distinguish family profiles better than duration alone. Tiered, profile-informed family guidance is recommended.

How to Cite

Herrera , X. P. C., Gutiérrez Apolo , Y. X., González Carias , J. J. M., & Tapia, M. M. P. (2026). MULTIDIMENSIONAL PARENTING PROFILES AND PROBLEMATIC DIGITAL MEDIATION IN FAMILIES OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN: A PERSON-CENTERED ANALYSIS. ACTA INNOVATIONS, 63, 514–525. https://doi.org/10.62441/actainnovations.v63i.1117
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