Parental psychological and behavioral control and positive youth development among young Chinese adolescents: The mediating role of basic psychological needs satisfaction

Previous studies indicate that parental psychological control and behavioral control play crucial roles in the positive development of adolescents. However, little is known about the underlying mechanism of the associations between parental psychological control and behavioral control and positive youth development (PYD). The present study sought to examine the role of basic psychological needs satisfaction as a mediator of the association between parental psychological control and behavioral control and PYD. Two-wave longitudinal data were collected from a sample of 783 young Chinese adolescents (427 boys, Mage = 10.87, SDage = .94) who enrolled in three primary schools in Beijing, China. Results of structural equation modeling indicated that basic psychological needs satisfaction mediated the associations between parental psychological control and behavioral control and PYD six months later. Moreover, results of multiple-group invariance analysis indicated no gender differences in the indirect effects of parental psychological control and behavioral control on PYD six months later through basic psychological needs satisfaction. Implications for future research and practices for parents and school practitioners are discussed.