Abstract
Prior research suggests a link between maternal depression and mothers' problematic media use (PMU), defined as compulsive or dysregulated media use that interferes with daily functioning. This study examined whether parenting self-efficacy mediates this association using a random intercept cross-lagged panel model. Participants were 532 mothers (M(age) = 30.34 years) and their infants (M(age) = 5.83 months at Wave 1) followed across five annual waves. We analyzed data from Waves 1 to 5 of Project MEDIA, capturing both between- and within-person effects over time. Results showed that higher maternal depression correlated with lower parenting efficacy and higher PMU. Depression remained relatively stable across 5 years, whereas PMU and parenting efficacy fluctuated. Within-person analyses revealed that increases in maternal depression predicted decreases in parenting self-efficacy, but neither depression nor efficacy significantly predicted PMU. These findings suggest that while maternal depression undermines parenting self-efficacy, additional factors may explain its connection to PMU. Further research is needed to clarify these pathways and inform intervention strategies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).