Perceived Parenting Style, Self Efficacy and Self Control Among College Students

Perceived parenting styles shape college students’ psychological development, yet the interplay between parenting, self-control, and general self-efficacy remains underexamined in Chinese higher education contexts. A cross-sectional survey of 300 Chinese college students (114 males, 186 females) assessed perceived paternal and maternal rearing behaviors using the Simplified EMBU Questionnaire (emotional warmth, rejection, overprotection), general self-efficacy using the General Self-Efficacy Scale, and self-control using the Self-Control Scale. Using SPSS 22.0, analyses included descriptive statistics, Spearman correlation, multiple regression, and moderation tests. Parental emotional warmth correlated positively with self-control (paternal r = .621; maternal r = .661; p < .001), whereas parental rejection and overprotection correlated negatively with self-control. In regression, paternal emotional warmth (β = .325, p < .001) and self-control (β = .338, p < .001) were positive predictors of self-efficacy, and the overall model accounted for 23.8% of the variance in self-efficacy; maternal emotional warmth showed a small negative coefficient after adjustment (β = −.160, p = .049). Moderation analysis indicated that self-control buffered the association between perceived maternal rejection and self-efficacy (interaction p = .049). Demographic factors were associated with selected parenting dimensions but not with self-efficacy. These findings underscore the roles of paternal emotional warmth and self-control in supporting college students’ general self-efficacy and suggest self-control as a resilience factor when maternal rejection is perceived.