Joint Trajectories of Parental Psychological Control and Autonomy Support and their Impact on Chinese Adolescents' Psychological Adjustment.

While parental psychological control and autonomy support have been studied as separate developmental processes in adolescence, their joint trajectories and combined effects on adolescent adjustment remain unclear. This study included 996 Chinese adolescents (Age (T1) = 12.53 ± 0.37, 49.6% boys) who were assessed at three time points with annual intervals. Parallel-process latent class growth modeling revealed four joint developmental trajectories: Stable-Supportive Parenting (31.4%), Increasing-Adaptive Parenting (8.7%), Eroding-Support Parenting (48.6%), and Unilateral-Control Parenting (11.2%). These trajectories demonstrated differential associations with adolescent outcomes, including internalizing and externalizing problems, prosocial behavior, and flourishing. The findings provide valuable insights into autonomy-related parenting processes and highlight practical implications for targeted interventions aimed at promoting optimal adolescent adjustment.