The impact of parental psychological control on teacher-student and student-student relationships in elementary school children: mediating roles of rejection sensitivity, social withdrawal and anxiety

This study explores how parental psychological control is associated with elementary students’ perceived relationships with teachers and peers, focusing on the potential indirect associations involving rejection sensitivity, social withdrawal, and social anxiety. A sample of 587 elementary school students (323 boys and 240 girls, Mage = 10.73, SD = 0.91) participated in self-reported questionnaires measuring parental psychological control, rejection sensitivity, social anxiety, social withdrawal, and the quality of perceived teacher-student and student-student relationships. Path analysis revealed that parental psychological control was associated with both teacher-student and student-student relationships via rejection sensitivity, social withdrawal, and social anxiety. Notably, the indirect pathways involving rejection sensitivity followed by social withdrawal or social anxiety were significant for both teacher–student and student–student relationships.This study provides a nuanced understanding of how parental behaviours are associated with children’s relational experiences and offers implications for targeted intervention strategies in educational and family contexts.