Effects of parental psychological control on interpersonal disturbance in college students: the chain mediating role of covert narcissism and alexithymia

To explore the relationship between parental psychological control, covert narcissism, alexithymia, and interpersonal disturbance among college students, a total of 430 college students were investigated with Parental Psychological Control Questionnaire, the Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and the Interpersonal Relationships Assessment Scale. It is found that (1) There was a significantly positive association between parental psychological control, covert narcissism, alexithymia, and interpersonal disturbance. (2) Covert narcissism and alexithymia played a significantly mediating role in the effect of parental psychological control on interpersonal disturbance among college students, through three specific pathways: the separate mediating role of covert narcissism and alexithymia, the separate mediating role of alexithymia, and the chain mediating role of covert narcissism and alexithymia.