Parental Control, Peer Relationship Quality, Depression and Aggression: In Variable-Centered and Person-Centered Approach

Depression and aggression are important indicators for evaluating adolescents’ mental health, thus it’s necessary to explore the similarities and differences in the internal mechanisms of both. A total of 1,113 high school students, of which 871 (78.26%) were girls ( M = 16.72, SD = 0.90) completed Parental Control Scale, Peer Relationship Quality Scale, Depression Scale and Aggression Behavior Scale. Latent profile analysis identified four profiles, namely: Low control, Low parental psychological control (PPC) and High parental behavioral control (PBC), High PPC and Low PBC, and High control. In variable-centered and person-centered approach, the current study found that peer relationship quality mediated the association between parental control and depression/aggression. This study shows that parental psychological and behavioral control are significantly related to depression and aggression. Peer relationship quality plays an important role in this relation.