The Impact of Parental Psychological Control on Anxiety Among College Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6918/IJOSSER.202611_9(11).0022Keywords:
Parental psychological control; rumination; college students’ anxiety; mediating effect.Abstract
Recent surveys across several Chinese provinces show that between 16.36% and 26.60% of college students report significant anxiety symptoms. Even more worrying, longitudinal data indicate that these numbers have been climbing steadily over the past decade. Anxiety rarely appears alone—it usually brings along insomnia, low mood, and other emotional struggles, which make campus life even harder for young adults. At the same time, what happens at home matters a great deal. When parents frequently use psychological control—for instance, by meddling in their children's daily choices or dismissing their feelings—young people often grow up feeling that their inner world is ignored or invalidated. This kind of upbringing can seriously damage their ability to understand and express their own emotions. Such negative family interactions, driven by parental psychological control, become a major risk factor for mental health.
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