The Influence of Parental Expectations and Parental Control on Adolescent Well-Being in Poor Chinese Families

Consistent with our hypotheses, the results indicated that parental expectations of children’s future and adolescents’ perceived parental control directly influenced adolescent cognitive competence and self-identity. Furthermore, adolescent perceived maternal control moderated the influence of paternal expectations on cognitive competence and self-identity among Chinese adolescents. Simple slope analyses showed that paternal expectations influenced adolescent cognitive competence and self-identity under low levels of perceived maternal control than did high levels of perceived maternal control. The present study underscores the dynamic nature of the influence of parental expectations and perceived parental control on adolescent well-being (cognitive competence and self-identity) in poor Chinese families.