Parental Psychological Control and Childhood Anxiety: The Mediating Role of Perceived Lack of Control

Parental psychological control has been found to relate to the development of childhood anxiety; however, this relation has
not been thoroughly examined. The purpose of this study was to understand the nature of the relation between parental psychological
control and anxiety symptoms in children, as well as to understand whether this relation is mediated by children’s perceived
control. Questionnaires were administered to children ages 8–11. Results indicated a significant relation between parental
psychological control and child anxiety symptoms. Results further indicated that this relation was fully mediated by children’s
perceptions of how much control they feel they have over events in their lives. These findings suggest that although parental
psychological control and a child’s perceived control both contribute to the development of anxiety, it is possible that parental
psychological control contributes to the development of anxiety by affecting a child’s perception of control.