Intact and non-intact families in Hong Kong: Differences in perceived parental control processes, parent-child relational qualities, and adolescent psychological well-being

This paper examines whether Chinese adolescents' perceptions of parental behavioral control (parental knowledge, expectation, monitoring, discipline, and demandingness as well as parental control based on indigenous Chinese concepts), parental psychological control, parent-child relational qualities (child's satisfaction with parental control, child's readiness to communicate with the parents, perceived parental trust, and child's trust of the parents), and adolescent psychological well-being (hopelessness, mastery, life satisfaction and self-esteem) differed in intact families (N = 2,340) and non-intact families (N = 241) over time. Results showed that relative to intact families over time, parental behavioral control processes were weaker and parent-child relational qualities were worse in non-intact families over time. In contrast, parental psychological control was higher in non-intact families over time than in intact families over time. Finally, the psychological well-being of adolescents in non-intact families over time was poorer than that of adolescents in intact families over time.