“Back Off”! Helicopter Parenting and a Retreat From Marriage Among Emerging Adults

Abstract

The present study used a sample of 779 unmarried emerging adult college students to test the hypothesis that higher levels of helicopter parenting would be related to less positive marital attitudes. Helicopter parenting entails intense and intrusive involvement by parents under the guise of caring and protection. Using hierarchical multiple regression models, results suggested that helicopter parenting was not associated with the general importance placed on marriage but did influence emerging adults’ beliefs about the advantages of being single versus being married and their expected age of marriage. Higher reported helicopter parenting among emerging adults was associated with stronger beliefs that being single held more advantages than being married and an expected delay of eventual marriage. Other results suggested that parental warmth with mothers and fathers was also an important correlate of emerging adults’ marital attitudes.

Is Hovering Smothering or Loving? An Examination of Parental Warmth as a Moderator of Relations Between Helicopter Parenting and Emerging Adults’ Indices of Adjustment

“…Hence, its link to indices of adjustment/maladjustment may be rather complex. For example, it has been found that helicopter parenting is associated with negative aspects of emerging adults’ development including more pessimistic views of marriage, indices of anxiety, depression, and lower life satisfaction and psychological well-being (LeMoyne & Buchanan, 2011; Schiffrin et al, 2014; Segrin, Woszidlo, Givertz, Bauer, & Murphy, 2012; Willoughby, Hersh, Padilla-Walker, & Nelson, 2013). On the other hand, helicopter parenting has been found to be related to several positive aspects of the parent–child relationship (i.e., guidance and involvement) in emerging adulthood (e.g., Padilla-Walker & Nelson, 2012).…”

Associations of Experienced Parenting Style and Empathy Among Male Offenders in China

“…The controlling factors in parenting style may have profound in uences on the individual according to previous studies [14][15][16]. More negative parenting that involved high levels of control was found to be associated with more pessimistic views of marriage, higher levels of depression, and higher rates of prescribed medication for depression and anxiety [14,15]. More authoritarian parenting styles (e.g., overly strict and controlling) may involve an increased risk of child maltreatment (e.g., harsh verbal and physical disciplining practices) [16].…”

“…In addition, low levels of parental monitoring and high levels of harsh parental disciplining have been related to high levels of delinquent behavior in adolescents [1,13]. The controlling factors in parenting style may have profound in uences on the individual according to previous studies [14][15][16]. More negative parenting that involved high levels of control was found to be associated with more pessimistic views of marriage, higher levels of depression, and higher rates of prescribed medication for depression and anxiety [14,15].…”

Fostering social and emotional intelligence: What are the best current strategies in parenting?

“…This is consistent with related research showing that overparenting has negative associations with school involvement, academic adjustment, and positive associations with maladaptive academic motivations (Burke, Segrin, & Farris, ; Darlow et al, ; Padilla‐Walker & Nelson, ; Schiffrin & Liss, ). Emerging adults exposed to high levels of helicopter parenting also appear less interested in getting married (Willoughby, Hersh, Padilla‐Walker, & Nelson, ).…”