Abstract
This study examined how children’s perceptions of parental psychological control are related to their academic achievement during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the potential moderating role of the perceived COVID-19 threat on these relations. The sample included 199 fourth-grade children (
M
= 10.97, 57.8% girls) and one of their parents. Children completed a questionnaire assessing their perceptions of two dimensions of parental psychological control: achievement and emotional dependency. Both parents and children reported their worries related to the COVID-19 threat. Teachers reported children’s grades for the first and second semesters. Children’s perceptions of parental achievement-oriented and dependency-oriented control were negatively related to their academic achievement. Children’s perceptions of the COVID-19 threat were positively related to their academic achievement and they moderated the relation between parental achievement-oriented psychological control and academic achievement. Our results highlighted the significant role of specific domains of parental psychological control on children’s school outcomes.