How is parental psychological control related to anxiety symptoms of adolescents?: The role of self-esteem and self-criticism

Sen Aslan H., Bayar Y., Sayıl F. M.

Current Psychology, 2025 (SSCI) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Publication Date: 2025
  • Doi Number: 10.1007/s12144-025-08109-y
  • Journal Name: Current Psychology
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, BIOSIS, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier, Psycinfo
  • Keywords: Adolescent anxiety, Parenting and adolescence, Psychological control, Self development
  • TED University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The present study aims to examine the role of maternal and paternal psychological control on adolescents’ anxiety symptoms, including social, separation, and test anxiety, via the adolescents’ self-esteem and self-criticism. Previous studies mostly from the West demonstrated that psychologically controlling parenting is a risk factor for developing adolescents’ depression and anxiety. Children’s self-appraisals explain the relationship between parenting and children’s internalization problems as a mechanism. The present study included adolescents’ self-esteem and self-criticism as mechanisms in the relationship between parenting and adolescent anxiety in Turkish culture. The study sample is 159 mother, father, and adolescent triads from middle SES urban families from three Anatolian cities in Türkiye. Results revealed that higher maternal and paternal psychological control indirectly predicted adolescents’ higher anxiety symptoms through higher self-criticism.