Parental Psychological Control and Authoritarianism in Chinese-Canadian and European-Canadian Cultural Groups: Their Meanings and Implications for University Students’ Adjustment

Abstract

While psychological control and parental authoritarianism are thought to be distinct but related constructs (Barber & Harmon, 2002), the empirical relationships between measures of the constructs has not been assessed. This study examined these relationships, as reported by Chinese-Canadian and European-Canadian undergraduates. It also determined the extent to which participants’ reports of their mothers’ and fathers’ authoritarianism and psychological control uniquely predicted undergraduates’ own levels of depression, anxiety, and self-esteem. The associations between reports of parenting and these indicators of adjustment were similar in both groups. Across groups, there was evidence that the measures of psychological control and authoritarianism reflected distinct constructs, which were strongly positively associated. Psychological control best predicted depression and self-esteem; neither authoritarianism nor psychological control predicted unique variance in anxiety. The implications of the findings are discussed.