Psychology Research and Behavior Management (Jul 2024)
Parental Psychological Control and College Students’ Negative Risk-Taking Behaviors: The Chain-Mediating of Autonomy and Self-Control
Abstract
Shanming Zhang, Tianrou Chang, Zhihua Li College of Education, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan, 411201, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Tianrou Chang, College of Education, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan, 411201, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]: To deeply explore the relationship between parental psychological control and negative risk-taking behaviors among Chinese college students and the mediating role of autonomy and self-control, providing a reference basis for preventing and intervening in college students’ negative risk-taking behaviors.Patients and Methods: Questionnaires was administered to 1173 college students (Mage=20.7 ± 1.32) in Hunan Province using four scales. Subsequently, we processed and analyzed the collected data using SPSS 26.0 software.Results: Parental psychological control demonstrated a significantly positive correlation with college students’ negative risk-taking behaviors. The impact of parental psychological control on college students’ negative risk-taking behaviors was mediated by self-control and the combined effect of autonomy and self-control.Conclusion: Among Chinese college students, autonomy and self-control act as a sequential mediating factor between negative risk-taking behaviors and parental psychological control. This study uncovered the underlying process by which parenting practices affected college students’ negative risk-taking behaviors. It offers empirical support for successful treatments aimed at reducing future risk-taking behaviors among college students, as well as some evidence in favor of the crucial part that parenting styles play in the development of positive adolescents.Keywords: college students, parental psychological control, negative risk-taking behaviors, autonomy, self-control
