Class cohesion and teacher support moderate the relationship between parental behavioral control and subjective well-being among adolescents

Abstract

Previous studies indicate that parental behavioral control can alleviate deviant issues in adolescents, but whether it facilitates their positive development and the underlying mechanisms within this process remain unclear. This study sought to examine the role of class cohesion (i.e., the closeness of the social relations and connections among peers in the classroom) and teacher support (i.e., perceived care and help from teachers) from the school setting as moderators of the association between parental behavioral control and the subjective well-being of Chinese adolescents. A total of 2,503 junior high school students (Mage = 12.99 years, SD = 0.62, 51.98% boys) from 47 grade 7 classes in central China completed questionnaires. Results of the hierarchical linear model showed that: (1) both parental solicitation and parental restriction at the individual level were significantly positively associated with adolescents’ subjective well-being; (2) both class cohesion and teacher support at the class level were significantly positively associated with adolescents’ subjective well-being; and (3) both class cohesion and teacher support significantly moderated the relationship between parental solicitation and adolescents’ subjective well-being. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.