Maternal Psychological Control and Internalizing Problems of Preschool Children/Controle Psicologico Materno e Problemas Internalizantes em Pre-Escolares

The present study investigated relations between maternal psychological control and behavior control and internalizing problems of preschool children, with ages varying between three and five years. Participants in the study were 103 mothers who completed the CBCL and the Child Socialization and Parental Childrearing Practices Structured Interview. The results showed that two of the syndromes representing the group of internalizing problems, anxiety/depression and withdrawal, were positively correlated with critical control, which is a dimension of psychological control. It is possible that maternal critical control limits the socio-emotional development of children and their access to reinforcers, contributing to the emergence of withdrawal and symptoms of anxiety/depression. The relevance of other variables for the understanding of internalizing problems, as emotional socialization practices, is also discussed.