Effects of parental autonomy support and control on elementary students' subjective well-being: A daily diary study

The current research employed a diary method from both within and between individual perspectives to investigate the relationship between daily parental autonomy support and control and children's daily subjective well-being, as well as whether children's daily self-control and daily academic persistence play a mediating role in the relationship between daily parental autonomy support and control and children's daily subjective well-being. A 14-day consecutive diary study was conducted. A total of 164 children in grades 5 and 6 completed questionnaires about their daily parental autonomy support and control, self-control, daily academic persistence, as well as daily subjective well-being. Results of multilevel structural equation model showed that daily parental autonomy support predicted daily life satisfaction through the chain mediation of daily self-control and daily academic persistence at the within individual level; parental autonomy support and control had an indirect effect on positive affect through the chain mediation of self-control and academic persistence at the between individual level. These findings reveal the complexity of family interaction in daily life, enriching the existing theoretical framework and empirical research, and helping to reveal the process and characteristics of parent-child interaction.