Children of control-freaks may suffer long-term mental damage: study

Parents who attempt to psychologically control their children too much might leave them unhappy and dependent later in life. A study involving thousands of people from their teens to their sixties discovered that adults whose parents intruded on their privacy in childhood or encouraged dependence were unhappier and suffered from lower mental well-being.

In fact, experts from the University College London even went to say that the life-long negative impact was very similar to that experienced by individuals who have suffered bereavement. “People whose parents showed warmth and responsiveness had higher life satisfaction and better mental well-being,” Dr Mai Stafford, of the MRC Unit for Lifelong Health & Ageing at UCL said, according to the Daily Mail.

“By contrast, psychological control was significantly associated with lower life satisfaction and mental well-being,” he added. This study was published in The Journal of Positive Psychology.