Technical comment on Pu, J., & Gan, X. (2025). When love constrains: The impact of parental psychological control on dark personality development in adolescents. Personality and Individual Differences, 238, 113093

Abstract

This paper critiques the study conducted by Pu and Gan (2025), which utilized longitudinal data to explore the relationship between parental psychological control and dark personality traits. While the study offers valuable insights into the development of dark personality characteristics, several issues are evident. Firstly, the graphical representations lack standardization, which may impede clarity and interpretation. Secondly, the use of a random intercept cross-lagged model based on data from only two time points raises methodological concerns. These factors may introduce errors into the study's findings. It is recommended that the authors make their analytical code publicly available to improve transparency and replicability.