The effects of (in)congruence in paternal and maternal psychological control on adolescents' academic physical exhaustion

Abstract Drawing upon family systems theory, we examine the congruent and incongruent effect of paternal and maternal psychological control on middle school students' academic physical exhaustion. Results from polynomial regressions on 202 middle school students supported the congruent effect hypothesis. Furthermore, asymmetrical incongruent effects were observed, with students experiencing higher academic physical exhaustion when paternal psychological control was high combined with maternal psychological control low, compared with the reverse scenario. These findings highlight the pivotal role played by both fathers and mothers in reducing middle school students' academic physical exhaustion.