Perceived Parental Control, Parent-Adolescent Relationship and Adolescents’ Psychological Adjustment. Does Gender Matter?

Abstract

AbstractThe aim of the present study was to explore the gender-specific links between perceived parental behavioral and psychological control and adolescents’ psychological adjustment directly and indirectly through the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship. The participants in the study were 930 early adolescents (mean age 12.9; SD 0.71; 49.9% girls) who filled in questionnaires about the parenting of their parents (for mothers and fathers respectively) as well as their own psychological adjustment (self-esteem and life satisfaction). The results of the structural equation modeling showed that the perception of adolescents regarding their parents’ behavioral and psychological control is significantly directly and/or indirectly associated with their psychological adjustment. Behavioral control was found to be positively and psychological control negatively associated with psychological adjustment. These associations have shown some gender-specific patterns. Among the boys, perceived control was associated with boys’ psychological adjustment indirectly through the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship for both mothers and fathers. On the other hand, the link between parental control and psychological adjustment among the girls was found to be direct for the father’s control and both direct and indirect for the mother’s control. Maternal control was associated with adolescents’ adjustment only indirectly through the quality of the mother-adolescent relationship while more direct associations were found among the fathers. This was particularly the case for the father-daughter dyad. However, the results were found to contradict previous findings in several points. This could have been attributed to the age of early adolescence as well as the cultural specifics of the sample.