A multidimensional construct of helicopter parenting and college students’ game and social media addictive behaviors: A cross-cultural study in South Korea and China

Abstract

IntroductionWe explored latent classes of helicopter parenting among Korean and Chinese college students. In addition, we examined whether these latent classes of helicopter parenting are related to Korean and Chinese students’ game and social media addictive behaviors.MethodsA three-step latent class analysis was conducted using 452 students from six universities in South Korea and 372 students from four universities in China.Results and discussionWe identified four distinct helicopter parenting latent classes among the parents of Korean and Chinese students: weak, strong, academic management, and academic and schedule management. We also found that Korean students in the strong class reported significantly higher levels of game and social media addictive behaviors than those in the other three classes, but this did not hold for Chinese students. This finding indicates that the association between helicopter parenting and college students’ game and social media addictive behaviors can be differentiated within Asian cultural contexts.

Helicopter parenting and college student depression: the mediating effect of physical self-esteem

“…For example, “I think it’s easy for me to keep my body attractive.” The scale uses a 4-point scoring system, with 1 being “strongly disagree” and 4 being “strongly agree.” A higher score indicates a higher level of physical self-esteem among college students. In the original validation study by Fox and Corbin ( 37 ), the Cronbach’s α coefficient was reported as 0.92, and the Cronbach’s α coefficient of this study is 0.967, indicating a consistent reliability across different contexts.…”

“…In the original validation study by Fox and Corbin (37), the Cronbach's α coefficient was reported as 0.92, and the Cronbach's α coefficient of this study is 0.967, indicating a consistent reliability across different contexts.…”

“…The Physical Self-Perception Profile (PSPP), originally developed by Fox and Corbin ( 37 ) and later revised by Xu and Yao ( 38 ), was employed to measure the physical self-esteem of students in China. The scale consists of 30 test items, encompassing five dimensions: athletic competence, physical condition, body condition, self-worth, and physical attractiveness.…”