Date of Graduation

2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Aaron Metzger

Committee Co-Chair

Amy Gentzler

Committee Member

Cheryl McNeil

Abstract

The current study examined the role of depressive symptoms as both a process variable (mediator), as well as a risk factor (moderator) for the association between psychological control and adolescent health-risk behaviors. Participants included 161 adolescents (Mage = 14.42, SD = 1.73; 80.7% Caucasian; 59.6% female) living in a University city in a Mid-Atlantic state. Participants completed survey questionnaires about parental psychological control, eating behaviors, cyber behaviors, substance use, and depressive symptoms. Results indicated that psychological control had significant indirect and direct effects on under-eating behaviors, as well as significant indirect effects on risky cyber behaviors and substance use. Additionally, psychological control was found to be associated positively with risky cyber behaviors and substance use for adolescents with greater depressive symptoms, but not adolescents with fewer depressive symptoms. The findings provide support for the indirect associations between psychological control and adolescent problem behaviors through adolescent depressive symptoms, as well as the role of depressive symptoms as a risk factor for the associations between psychological control and problem behaviors.

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