Behavioral but Not Psychological Control Predicts Self-Regulation, Adjustment Problems and Academic Self-Efficacy Among Early Adolescents

Abstract

Prior work has documented that parental psychological and behavioral control have varying impacts on self-regulation skills and social-academic outcomes in early adolescence, with effects differing across cultures. The present study explores the role of psychological and behavioral control in predicting adjustment difficulties and academic self-confidence through self-regulatory skills among early adolescents in Turkiye using data from mothers and their children (N = 295, Ngirls=145, Mage=12.14 years). The results yielded that parental behavioral control, but not psychological control, predicts self-regulation of adolescents, which, in turn, predicts adjustment and academic self-efficacy. Our results underscore the pivotal role of parental knowledge and monitoring, mainly through behavioral control strategies, in fostering psychological adjustment and academic self-efficacy in the Turkish cultural context. The discussion delves into the potential culture-specific effects of psychological control and the universal influence of behavioral control during early adolescence.