Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the mediating effects of experiential avoidance and subjective well-being on the relationship between parental marital conflict and BrainRot behavior-a colloquial term referring to the perceived negative effects of consuming excessive online content, particularly on social media platforms-among Chinese adolescents. METHODS: A self-reported survey was conducted with 4,063 adolescents (2,021 boys, 2,042 girls; mean age = 14.71 ± 1.43 years) in China. Validated Chinese versions of standardized instruments were used, including the Children's Perception of Marital Conflict Scale, the Problematic Short Video Use Scale, and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II, along with a single-item measure of subjective well-being. Data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0, and mediation analyses were conducted with the PROCESS macro (Model 6), applying 5,000 bootstrap resamples to estimate 95% confidence intervals for indirect effects. RESULTS: After controlling for age, gender, and grade, parental marital conflict was positively associated with adolescents' BrainRot behavior and experiential avoidance, and negatively associated with subjective well-being. Mediation analyses indicated that experiential avoidance served as the primary mediator in this relationship, while subjective well-being and the sequential pathway also played smaller but significant mediating roles. These findings suggest that both experiential avoidance and subjective well-being contribute to the link between parental marital conflict and BrainRot behavior. CONCLUSION: This study provides further insight into the psychological mechanisms linking parental marital conflict and adolescent BrainRot behavior by identifying experiential avoidance and subjective well-being as key mediators. The findings contribute to the understanding of how adolescents' internal coping strategies and emotional well-being influence the impact of family conflict, offering theoretical implications for research on adolescent behavior and family dynamics. Practically, the results suggest that interventions aimed at reducing BrainRot behavior should focus on fostering adaptive coping strategies and enhancing subjective well-being, providing guidance for family-, school-, and community-based programs.