Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Examining Temporal Associations between Perceived Maternal Psychological Control and Early Adolescent Internalizing Problems

  • Published:
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present study examined a) the associations between adolescent-reported maternal psychological control and self-reported internalizing problems one year later, while simultaneously examining the opposite direction of effects and b) the equivalence of these associations across gender. Participants were 479 10-to-14-year old adolescents (55% female) participating in two waves of a study. Results from multi-group, cross-lagged panel analyses indicated that although early adolescents’ depressive symptoms and social anxiety predicted change in perceived maternal psychological control one year later, perceived maternal psychological control did not predict change in early adolescents’ internalizing problems. Elevated levels of depressive symptoms were associated with increased levels of perceived maternal psychological control one year later, whereas elevated levels of social anxiety were associated with decreased levels. Aforementioned findings were consistent across boys’ and girls’ data. Study findings extend limited research on adolescent effects, demonstrating that early adolescents’ internalizing problems play a role in perceived maternal psychological control.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Albrecht, A. K., Galambos, N. L., & Jansson, S. M. (2007). Adolescents’ internalizing and aggressive behaviors and perceptions of parents’ psychological control: A panel study examining direction of effects. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 36, 673–684.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Angold, A., & Costello, E. J. (1993). Depressive comorbidity in children and adolescents: empirical, theoretical, and methodological issues. American Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 1779–1791.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barber, B. K. (1996). Parental psychological control: revisiting a neglected construct. Child Development, 67, 3296–3319.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barber, B. K. (2002). Reintroducing parental psychological control. In B. K. Barber (Ed.), Intrusive parenting: How psychological control affects children and adolescents (pp. 3–13). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Barber, B. K., & Harmon, E. L. (2002). Violating the self: Parental psychological control of children and adolescents. In B. K. Barber (Ed.), Intrusive parenting: How psychological control affects children and adolescents (pp. 15–52). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Barber, B.K., Stolz, H.E., & Olsen, J.A. (2005). Parental support, psychological control, and behavioral control: Assessing relevance across time, culture, and method. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development,70(4), Serial No. 282.

  • Bruch, M. A. (1989). Familial and developmental antecedents of social phobia: issues and findings. Clinical Psychology Review, 9, 37–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conger, K. J., Conger, R. D., & Scaramella, L. V. (1997). Parents, siblings, psychological control and adolescent adjustment. Journal of Adolescence Research, 12, 113–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, E. K., & Gullone, E. (2008). Internalizing symptoms and disorders in families of adolescents: a review of family systems literature. Clinical Psychology Review, 28, 92–117.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Inderbitzen, H. M., & Hope, D. A. (1995). Relationship among adolescent reports of social anxiety, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 9, 385–396.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Inderbitzen-Nolan, H. M., & Walters, K. S. (2000). Social anxiety scale for adolescents: normative data and further evidence of construct validity. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 29, 360–371.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kashdan, T. B., & Herbert, J. D. (2001). Social anxiety disorder in childhood and adolescence: current status and future directions. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 4, 37–61.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kovacs, M. (1992). Children’s depression inventory manual. North Tonawanda, NY: Multi-Health Systems, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • La Greca, A. M. (2001). Friends or foes? Peer influences on anxiety among children and adolescents. In W. K. Silverman & P. D. A. Treffers (Eds.), Anxiety disorders in children and adolescents: Research, assessment, and intervention (pp. 159–187). Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • La Greca, A. M., & Lopez, N. (1998). Social anxiety among adolescents: linkages with peer relations and friendships. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 26, 83–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • La Greca, A. M., & Stone, W. L. (1993). The social anxiety scale for children—Revised: factor structure and concurrent validity. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 22, 17–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leadbeater, B. J., Kuperminc, G. P., Blatt, S. J., & Hertzog, C. (1999). A multivariate model of gender differences in adolescents’ internalizing and externalizing problems. Developmental Psychology, 35, 1268–1282.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Loukas, A., Paulos, S., & Robinson, S. (2005). Early adolescent social and overt aggression: examining the roles of social anxiety and maternal psychological control. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34, 335–345.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lytton, H. (1990). Child and parent effects in boys’ conduct disorder: a reinterpretation. Developmental Psychology, 26, 683–697.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maassen, G. H., & Bakker, A. B. (2001). Suppressor variables in path models: definitions and interpretations. Sociological Methods & Research, 30, 241–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLeod, B. D., Wood, J. J., & Weisz, J. R. (2006). Examining the association between parenting and childhood anxiety: a meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 27, 155–172.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Muthen, L. K., & Muthen, B. O. (1998-2007). Mplus user's guide (5th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Muthen & Muthen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pettit, G. S., Laird, R. D., Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. E., & Criss, M. M. (2001). Antecedents and behavior-problem outcomes of parental monitoring and psychological control in early adolescence. Child Development, 72, 583–598.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pineda, A. Q., Cole, D. A., & Bruce, A. E. (2007). Mother-adolescent interactions ion adolescent depressive symptoms: a sequential analysis. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24, 5–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rapee, R. M. (1997). Potential role of childrearing practices in the development of anxiety and depression. Clinical Psychology Review, 17, 47–67.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reitz, E., Dekovic, M., Meijer, A. M., & Engels, R. C. M. E. (2006). Longitudinal relations among parenting, best friends, and early adolescent problem behavior. Journal of Early Adolescence, 26, 272–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, K. N., Buchanan, C. M., & Winchell, M. E. (2003). Psychological control during early adolescence: links to adjustment in differing parent/adolescent dyads. Journal of Early Adolescence, 23, 349–383.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rose, A. J., & Rudolph, K. D. (2006). Sex differences in peer relationship processes: potential trade-offs for the emotional and behavioral development of girls and boys. Psychological Bulletin, 132, 98–131.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rudolph, K. D., & Conley, C. S. (2005). The socioemotional costs and benefits of social-evaluative concerns: do girls care too much? Journal of Personality, 73, 115–137.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sameroff, A. J. (2000). Ecological perspectives on developmental risk. In J. D. Osofsky & H. E. Fitzgerald (Eds.), WAIMH Handbook of infant mental health groups at risk (pp. 4–33). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scarr, S., & McCartney, K. (1983). How people make their own environments: a theory of genotype-environment effects. Child Development, 54, 424–435.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schaefer, E. S. (1965). Children’s reports of parental behavior: an inventory. Child Development, 36, 413–424.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sheeber, L., Hops, H., & Davis, B. (2001). Family processes in adolescent depression. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 4, 19–35.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, D., & Friend, R. (1969). Measurement of social-evaluative anxiety. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 33, 448–457.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Walters, K. S., & Inderbitzen, H. M. (1998). Social anxiety and peer relations among adolescents: testing a psychobiological model. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 12, 183–198.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Kinesiology & Health Education, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station D3700, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    Alexandra Loukas

Authors
  1. Alexandra Loukas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alexandra Loukas.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Loukas, A. Examining Temporal Associations between Perceived Maternal Psychological Control and Early Adolescent Internalizing Problems. J Abnorm Child Psychol 37, 1113–1122 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-009-9335-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-009-9335-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation