Bidirectional relationship between parental psychological control and adolescent maladjustment

Abstract Introduction This study explores the longitudinal and bidirectional relations between paternal/maternal psychological control and adolescent maladjustment (i.e., internalizing symptoms, aggression, and association with deviant peers). Methods This longitudinal investigation was conducted at two time points over a one‐year interval with participants comprising 543 Chinese adolescents aged 10 to 13 (mean age at Time 1 = 11.29; 51.93% girls). The performed measurements encompassed paternal/maternal psychological control, adolescent internalizing symptoms, aggression, association with deviant peers, and demographic information. Results The findings of a cross‐lagged model analysis revealed that paternal psychological control was longitudinally and positively related to adolescent internalizing symptoms and aggression. Maternal psychological control was not significantly related to any domain of adolescent maladjustment. In turn, adolescent association with deviant peers was longitudinally and positively associated with both parents’ psychological control. Conclusions Parental psychological control was bidirectionally associated with adolescent maladjustment in general, and paternal psychological control played a crucial role on adolescent maladjustment in the Chinese cultural context. The study's findings supported the reciprocal model of parent–child interaction, and extended it by highlighting the apprehension of the characteristics of parental impact from a cultural perspective. The study results add to the current scholarly understanding of parental psychological control in the non‐western cultural context.