Turkish Adolescents’ Interpretations of Psychological and Behavioral Control: Relation with Adjustment Problems and Moderating Factors

Abstract

Few studies have focused on adolescents’ interpretations of parental control in a non-Western context. This study examines the intervening role of Turkish adolescents’ interpretations of psychological control (PC)/behavioral control (BC) in the relation between PC/BC and adolescent problem behaviors and the moderating roles of maternal warmth and adolescents’ legitimacy beliefs of these control practices. Participants were 689 adolescents (Mage = 13.95; SD = 0.94; 56.9% girls) and their mothers. Structural equation modeling results indicated that (1) adolescents who have experienced greater maternal PC were more likely to interpret specific situations of maternal PC negatively, (2) adolescents who have experienced greater maternal BC were less likely to interpret specific situations of maternal BC negatively, (3) adolescents’ interpretations of specific PC/BC practices intervened the relation between PC/BC and adolescents’ internalizing and externalizing problems, and (4) adolescents’ perceptions of maternal warmth moderated the association between their general perceptions of PC and interpretations of specific PC practices. The findings support previous findings regarding adolescents’ interpretations of PC practices and indicates the need for further research on interpretations of BC practices.