How Does Mothers’ Parental Burnout Longitudinally Predict Adolescent Bullying Perpetration and Victimization? The Mediating Role of Psychological Control Rather than Autonomy Support

Bullying perpetration and victimization are prevalent adolescent peer problems with lasting adverse consequences. Although previous research identifies various parental and family risks for these peer problems, the role of mothers’ parental burnout and the underlying longitudinal mechanisms remain underexplored. This three-wave longitudinal study (6-month intervals across 12 months) examined whether higher levels of mothers’ parental burnout at T1 predicted higher adolescent bullying perpetration and victimization at T3, and whether adolescents’ perceptions of higher psychological control at T2 and lower autonomy support at T2 mediated these associations. The sample included 1,969 adolescents (49.90% boys; M_age = 14.35, SD_age = 1.30) and their mothers (M_age = 41.68, SD_age = 5.24). After controlling for autoregressive effects and covariates (gender, school, and SES), results showed that higher mothers’ parental burnout at T1 predicted higher psychological control at T2 and lower autonomy support at T2, as well as greater bullying perpetration and victimization at T3. Higher psychological control at T2, rather than lower autonomy support at T2, uniquely predicted greater bullying perpetration and victimization at T3 and emerged as the specific significant longitudinal mediator. The indirect effect through psychological control exceeded that through autonomy support for both outcomes (significant at the 90% CI for bullying perpetration and 95% CI for bullying victimization). These findings revealed that psychological control is the specific parenting mechanism through which mothers’ parental burnout contributes to adolescents’ later bullying perpetration and victimization.