Perceived Parental Psychological Control Predicts Intraindividual Decrements in Self-Regulation Throughout Adolescence

The present study examined the intraindividual, longitudinal, cross-lagged associations between adolescents' perceptions of mothers' and fathers' psychologically controlling parenting and their self-regulation from ages 11-17. Using 7 waves of data involving 500 families and their adolescents (M-age = 11.29; SD = 1.01 at Wave 1), results indicated that adolescent-reported increases in mothers' and fathers' psychological control prospectively and uniquely predicted intraindividual decrements in their self-regulation, controlling for prior levels of self-regulation. Sex differences were largely absent except for one, where fathers' psychological control predicted adolescent females', but not males', declines in self-regulation, and where reverse associations manifested. Implications for intervention efforts are suggested for parents, educators, and practitioners, and future directions for research are discussed.