The Structural Relationships between Parent's Psychological Control, Adolescents' Depressive Experiences, Depression, and Self-esteem and the Importance of Self-Identity Status

ABSTRACT

The purpose of study was to explore whether the structural relationships of parents' psychological control(separation-anxious & achievement-oriented psychological control) and adolescents' depressive experiences (dependent & self-criticism depressive experience), depression, and self-esteem are different depending on the status of an adolescents' self-identity. The participants in this study consisted of 458 adolescents recruited from high schools and universities ( Mage=17.4 yrs; SD=1.75) in Seoul and other metropolitan areas. Data were collected through self-reporting questionnaires for the adolescents. Our results revealed that inthe group whose self-identity status was goal-oriented, mothers' psychological control hampered their self-esteem, however, in the case of the group whose self-identity status was experiencing diffusion, fathers' psychological control tended to obstruct their self-esteem. These findings underscored the differential pathway of both the mother's and father's parenting role and influences upon the development and attainment of adolescent self-identity.