Psychological control during early adolescence: Links to adjustment in differing parent/adolescent dyads

The present study examined the association between adolescent perceptions of parental psychological control and adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms across four dyadic relationships (mother/daughter mother/son, father/daughter, and father/ son) cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Participants were 306 sixth- and seventh- grade students, 287 mothers, and 115 fathers, interviewed at two time points one year apart. Cross-sectionally, father psychological control predicted higher adolescent-reported internalizing both for boys and for girls only when mothers also were perceived as high in psychological control. Similarly, but only among girls, father psychological control predicted higher externalizing only when mothers also were perceived as high in psychological control. Longitudinal analyses indicated that adolescents with higher internalizing symptoms atone time are especially likely to perceive parents as using psychological control one year later, earlier psychological control did not predict later internalizing. For externalizing, longitudinal analyses indicated that higher psychological control at one time predicts higher externalizing one year later.