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Behavioral Sciences
Volume 16
Issue 1
10.3390/bs16010034
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

The Effect of Parental Psychological Control on Real-Life Social Avoidance in College Students: A Moderated Chain Mediation Model

by
Panqin Ye
1,
Lin Zhang
1,
Yan Li
2,
Furong Lu
1 and
Yufang Bian
3,*
1
School of Educational Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
2
Faculty of Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
3
Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment toward Basic Education Quality, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(1), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16010034
Submission received: 22 October 2025 / Revised: 18 December 2025 / Accepted: 18 December 2025 / Published: 23 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Influence of Parenting in Adolescent and Young Adult Development)
Versions Notes

Abstract

This study examined the associations between parental psychological control and real-life social avoidance among college students, focusing on the chain mediating roles of basic psychological needs and problematic smartphone use, as well as the moderating role of interpersonal sensitivity. A total of 1879 college students participated in the study. The results revealed that parental psychological control is positively associated with college students’ social avoidance behavior. Furthermore, basic psychological needs and problematic smartphone use played significant sequential mediating roles in this association. Moreover, a sequential mediation pathway was found through basic psychological needs and problematic smartphone use. Additionally, interpersonal sensitivity was identified as a significant moderator, moderating the strength of the association between parental psychological control, and basic psychological needs. These findings provide important evidence for understanding the correlational mechanisms associated with real-life social avoidance among college students and offer practical insights for the development of intervention strategies.
Keywords: parental psychological control; social avoidance; basic psychological needs; problematic smartphone use; interpersonal sensitivity parental psychological control; social avoidance; basic psychological needs; problematic smartphone use; interpersonal sensitivity

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MDPI and ACS Style

Ye, P.; Zhang, L.; Li, Y.; Lu, F.; Bian, Y. The Effect of Parental Psychological Control on Real-Life Social Avoidance in College Students: A Moderated Chain Mediation Model. Behav. Sci. 2026, 16, 34. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16010034

AMA Style

Ye P, Zhang L, Li Y, Lu F, Bian Y. The Effect of Parental Psychological Control on Real-Life Social Avoidance in College Students: A Moderated Chain Mediation Model. Behavioral Sciences. 2026; 16(1):34. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16010034

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ye, Panqin, Lin Zhang, Yan Li, Furong Lu, and Yufang Bian. 2026. "The Effect of Parental Psychological Control on Real-Life Social Avoidance in College Students: A Moderated Chain Mediation Model" Behavioral Sciences 16, no. 1: 34. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16010034

APA Style

Ye, P., Zhang, L., Li, Y., Lu, F., & Bian, Y. (2026). The Effect of Parental Psychological Control on Real-Life Social Avoidance in College Students: A Moderated Chain Mediation Model. Behavioral Sciences, 16(1), 34. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16010034

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