Parental mediation profiles across six European countries: a person-centered analysis using three-wave longitudinal data

BackgroundParents use diverse strategies to mediate children's digital media use, yet prior research has largely examined them in isolation using variable-centered approaches. The few person-centered studies use single-country samples and have not validated longitudinal profile stability.MethodsLatent profile analysis (LPA) and latent transition analysis (LTA) were applied to three-wave longitudinal data from the ySKILLS project (six European countries: Estonia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal; ages 11, 20), using Mplus 8.3 with robust maximum likelihood (MLR) and full-information maximum likelihood (FIML) for missing data. The analytic sample comprised N = 9,881 participants with valid data on at least one mediation indicator across waves (W1 N = 5,675; W2 N = 6,238; W3 N = 5,472); the cross-sectional EFA used N = 5,833 (W1, eight items). Two standardized composites (restrictive, enabling mediation) served as LPA indicators; a monitoring item was reserved for external validation. Cross-national distributions were tested with χ2 and Cramér's V; distal outcomes (six wellbeing variables) with the BCH method; stability and country moderation via three-wave and multi-group LTA (measurement invariance).ResultsThree profiles emerged: Disengaged (40.2%), Moderate Balanced (35.4%), and Active All-Round (24.4%). Profile validity was confirmed against monitoring (F(2, 5,410) = 910.80, p < .001, η2 = 0.252). Prevalence varied significantly across countries (χ2 (10) = 365.63, p < 0.001, Cramér's V = 0.179): Estonia had the most Disengaged adolescents (58.4%; ASR = +13.4), Portugal the most Active All-Round (33.6%; ASR = +8.5). BCH analyses revealed a threshold rather than gradient pattern: Disengaged adolescents showed less favorable outcomes than both Moderate and Active profiles, which differed less consistently. Multi-group LTA revealed uniform drift toward Disengaged across all six countries from W1 to W3 (2-year net increases: +12.1, +25.2 pp), with Disengaged highly absorbing in every country (one-wave stability: 0.830, 0.965).ConclusionParental mediation strategies co-occur in interpretable configurations that vary across cultures and developmental stages. Disengaged adolescents showed less favorable outcomes than those whose parents engaged at any level (threshold pattern), supporting basic engagement over its absence. The absorbing nature of disengagement across all six countries underscores the need for universal early-adolescence interventions before it consolidates.