Adolescent temperament and parental control in the development of the adolescent decision making in a Chilean sample

The study analyzes the way in which adolescents’ temperamental characteristics interact with parental control to shape adolescent decision making development. A sample of high-school Chilean adolescents (N = 391) answered a self-report questionnaire that included measures of behavioral autonomy (the extent to which adolescents make decisions in personal and prudential domains), parental behavioral and psychological control, and temperamental characteristics. A path analysis model indicated that adolescents’ anger–frustration had a direct association with decision-making in the personal and prudential domains; fearfulness had an inverse association with adolescent decision-making, but only in the prudential domain. Perceived psychological control was associated with adolescents’ reduced decision-making autonomy in the personal domain, while perceived behavioral control was associated with less adolescent autonomy in both personal and prudential domains. Additionally, a moderation effect was found such that the association of parental behavioral control on decision-making in the prudential domain was dependent on the adolescent fearfulness level.