Parental Psychological Control and Interpersonal Dynamics: Insights from a School-Based Correlational Study

Abstract

Objective: This study set out to understand whether parents’ psychological control is linked to how adolescents get along with friends and classmates, focusing on school-going youth aged 10–18 years. Method: A correlational design was used with a convenience sample of 70 students (37 females, 33 males; M_age = 13.68 years, SD = 2.17). Participants completed the Psychological Control Scale–Youth Self-Report (PCS-YSR) alongside brief measures of everyday interpersonal dynamics. Results: The association between parental psychological control and adolescents’ interpersonal dynamics was small and not statistically significant (r = −.098, p = .421), suggesting a negligible relationship in this sample. The pattern did not meaningfully differ by age or gender. Conclusions: In this group of adolescents, higher psychological control at home did not directly map onto day-to-day peer relationship quality. Given the small, non-significant effect, future work should include larger samples and test “in-between” processes—such as autonomy development and the quality of peer ties—that may explain when and how psychological control affects social functioning.