Impact of Parental Psychological Control on Adolescent Anxiety: Mediating Role of Self-Esteem

The current research investigated the mediating role of self-esteem in the link between psychological control by parents and anxiety among adolescents in a sample of 300 students. It employed, a Parental Psychological Control Scale (PPCS) (Parent Psychological Control Scale, PC): Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, RSE): Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) (Beck Anxiety Inventory, BAI) in the research. The findings indicate that parental psychological control was positively associated with adolescent anxiety and inversely associated with self-esteem. There are also negative correlations between self-esteem and anxiety indicating a protective effect of self-esteem on adolescent mental health. Mediation analysis indicated that self-esteem mediated the association between parental psychological control and adolescent anxiety to some extent. The findings indicate how controlling child-rearing practices eroded adolescent's self-worth, thereby enhancing symptoms of anxiety. These results present evidence for the negative consequences of psychological control parenting on adolescent well-being, and the value of self-esteem development as a protective factor against anxiety. The research makes significant contributions to the literature through its empirical confirmation of self-esteem as a process to explain the pathway between parental psychological control and adolescent psychological distress. The results are applicable to parenting behavior, preventive sectional and promotion of adolescent mental health.