The effect of parental psychological control on social anxiety disorder and bulimia nervosa symptoms on university students: the mediation effects of anger and loneliness

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between perceived parental psychological control and the symptoms of bulimia nervosa and social anxiety disorder, as well as to investigate the mediation effects of anger and loneliness on these variables. Participants were 747 students from different departments of three faculties (Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Faculty of Education and Faculty of Engineering) of Adnan Menderes University, Aydın. Psychological Control Scale, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Edinburgh Bluimic Investigatory Test, UCLA Loneliness Scale and Trait Anger and Anger Expression Scales were administered to participants. Results showed that an increase in perceived parental psychological control was associated with an increase in sypmtoms of bulimia nervosa and symptoms of social anxiety disorder. Stepwise multiple regression analyses revealed that the level of experienced anger, suppression of anger, psychological control perceived from the mother and the feeling of loneliness predict the severity of bulimia nervosa symptoms. Higher levels of loneliness, perceived psychological control from the mother, suppression of anger and control of anger predicted greater number of social anxiety disorder sypmtoms. In the mediation model, perceived psychological control from the mother predicted bulimia nervosa syptoms through two different mediating variables: firstly perceived psychological control from the mother predicted feelings of loneliness and symptoms of bulimia nervosa. Secondly, perceived maternal control predicted suppression of anger and bulimia nervosa sypmtoms. In addition, the perceived psychological control from mother predicted social anxiety symptoms through the mediator effect loneliness. The results and limitations were discussed in accordance to the literature.