Parental Psychological Control in Hong Kong and India: Cross-Cultural Validation and Profiles

Purpose The study aimed to examine the cross-cultural validity of the Parental Psychological Control Scale (PPCS) and identify different profiles of maternal–paternal parental psychological control (PPC) patterns among adolescents in Hong Kong and India. Method Participants were 1,227 secondary school adolescents from Hong Kong ( M age = 13.67; 47.9% male) and 1,087 from India ( M age = 15.16; 43.7% male). Results Confirmatory factor analyses supported the three-dimensional structure of the maternal and paternal subscales of the PPCS and scalar measurement invariance across the two regions. Latent profile analyses identified four maternal–paternal PPC profiles in each region, with both similarities and variations across contexts. Adolescents in the profiles characterized by higher PPC generally showed poorer adjustment, including lower life satisfaction, greater loneliness, and higher problematic social networking use. Discussion These findings can inform social work assessment, case formulation, and the design of culturally responsive parenting and family support services for adolescents in Asian contexts.