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Trajectories of Perceived Parental Psychological Control across Adolescence and Implications for the Development of Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms

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Abstract

Theory and research indicate considerable changes in parental control across adolescence (e.g., declining behavioral control), but the developmental course and significance of psychological control remains largely unknown. This study examined trajectories of adolescents’ reports of mothers’ and fathers’ psychological control from ages 12 to 19, predictors of occupying distinct trajectories, and the developmental significance of these trajectories for adolescents’ development of depressive and anxiety symptoms. It used eight waves of survey data on 500 adolescents (Mage = 11.83, SD = 1.03; 52% female; 67% White, 12% African American) and their parents from the Pacific Northwest United States. Most adolescents (about 90%) reported low but increasing levels of parental psychological control over time, with a small but significant subset (about 10%) perceiving perpetually elevated levels. Mothers’ (but not fathers’) depressive symptoms, reported at the age 12 assessment, predicted adolescents’ membership in the elevated psychological control trajectory. Adolescents occupying these elevated trajectories showed more problematic growth in depressive and anxiety symptoms across adolescence. Taken together, the findings suggest that many adolescents experience increased parental psychological control as they age, and that variability in these trends indicates individual differences in their development of depressive and anxiety symptoms over time.

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Authors’ Contributions

AR conceived of the study, performed the statistical analyses and interpretation of results, and led the writing of the manuscript; LPW conceived of the study and assisted in the interpretation of results and the writing of the manuscript; RM assisted with data analysis and writing of the manuscript; JH assisted with data analysis and writing of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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  1. Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA

    Adam A. Rogers, Laura M. Padilla-Walker, Ryan D. McLean & Jeffrey L. Hurst

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  1. Adam A. Rogers
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Correspondence to Adam A. Rogers.

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All procedures involving human participants were performed in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethnical standards.

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All adolescents and parents in the study assented to participation; consent was obtained from each participants’ primary caregiver.

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Appendix A

Appendix A

Table 5

Table 5 Correlations among key variables at age 12 (and age 14 for adolescent depressive and anxiety symptoms)
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Rogers, A.A., Padilla-Walker, L.M., McLean, R.D. et al. Trajectories of Perceived Parental Psychological Control across Adolescence and Implications for the Development of Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms. J Youth Adolescence 49, 136–149 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-01070-7

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