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PARENTAL CAREGIVING IN MANAGING NOMOPHOBIA AMONG CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY
Abstract
The intensive use of digital devices among children with special needs (CSN) triggers the risk of nomophobia and daily emotion regulation failures. This descriptive qualitative study with a phenomenological design aims to explore the lived experiences of daily caregivers in managing gadget habits and emotion regulation of children with special needs in Jambi City. Through purposive sampling, three main caregivers participated as primary informants: a sister acting as a guardian for an autistic child (RK), a father of an ADHD child (BJ), and a mother of a child with severe gross motor delay (NF). Data were collected using semi-structured in-depth interviews and analyzed using La Kahija's descriptive psychological phenomenological approach. The analysis revealed six major themes: (1) daily gadget play patterns of the child, (2) developmental characteristics and clinical barriers, (3) digital parenting styles and family relations, (4) psychosocial impacts and child's emotional regulation failures, (5) caregivers' psychological dynamics and caregiver burnout, and (6) barriers in external support systems and neighborhood stigma. The findings show that gadgets are deeply integrated as practical sedatives and serve as a "digital fortress" against external bullying, although sudden device withdrawal triggers aggressive digital tantrums. Daily caregivers endure severe emotional exhaustion due to the lack of social inclusion from the surrounding community.
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References
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.20961/jod.v6i2.126353
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Copyright (c) 2026 Annisa Dianesti Dewi, Hanna Widya Gultom, Muhammad Ilham, Annisa Andriani
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