Dimensionality of Helicopter Parenting and Relations to Emotional, Decision-Making, and Academic Functioning in Emerging Adults

Abstract

The current study tests the underlying structure of a multidimensional construct of helicopter parenting (HP), assesses reliability of the construct, replicates past relations of HP to poor emotional functioning, and expands the literature to investigate links of HP to emerging adults' decision-making and academic functioning. A sample of 377 emerging adults (66% female; ages 17-30; 88% European American) were administered several items assessing HP as well as measures of other parenting behaviors, depression, anxiety, decision-making style, grade point average, and academic functioning. Exploratory factor analysis results suggested a four-factor, 23-item measure that encompassed varying levels of parental involvement in the personal and professional lives of their children. A bifactor model was also fit to the data and suggested the presence of a reliable overarching HP factor in addition to three reliable subfactors. The fourth subfactor was not reliable and item variances were subsumed by the general HP factor. HP was found to be distinct from, but correlated in expected ways with, other reports of parenting behavior. HP was also associated with poorer functioning in emotional functioning, decision making, and academic functioning. Parents' information-seeking behaviors, when done in absences of other HP behaviors, were associated with better decision making and academic functioning.

Profiles of Helicopter Parenting, Parental Warmth, and Psychological Control During Emerging Adulthood

“…These parents may engage in helicopter parenting and psychological control in order to induce continued dependency. Consistent with this argument, several studies have found overlap between parental psychological control and helicopter parenting (Luebbe et al, 2016; Padilla-Walker & Nelson, 2012). Thus, the first purpose of this study was to identify profiles of parents based on levels of helicopter parenting, parental warmth, and psychological control.…”

“…Helicopter parenting is a unique form of control characterized by parents making important decisions for their child and trying to solve problems that their child could reasonably solve themselves (Hunt, 2008), such as monitoring school work or solving roommate problems (Schiffrin et al, 2014). Although there is overlap, helicopter parenting has been found to be meaningfully distinct from behavioral control and psychological control (Padilla-Walker & Nelson, 2012) and is not correlated (Nelson et al, 2015) or is negatively correlated (Luebbe et al, 2016) with parental warmth. That being said, recent research suggests that different types of helicopter parenting may exist that are paired with other aspects of parenting and may be differentially effective for children.…”

“…That being said, recent research suggests that different types of helicopter parenting may exist that are paired with other aspects of parenting and may be differentially effective for children. For example, Luebbe and colleagues (2016) found evidence for three subscales of helicopter parenting, one of which (autonomy limiting) was negatively associated with parental care and positively associated with parental control and another of which (information seeking) was associated with higher parental care but not associated with control. Another study sought to explore the relations between helicopter parenting and child outcomes when helicopter parenting was used in the context of parental warmth and when it was not (Nelson et al, 2015).…”

Examining the Effects of Exercise on Frustration-Induced Anxiety-Like Behavior in Rats

“…Other stud ies have found that specific aspects of helicopter parenting may be associated with positive outcomes. For example, Luebbe et al (2018) reported that, when other facets of helicopter parenting (i.e., academic and personal management, direct inter ventions, and autonomylimiting behaviors) were not present, parents' informationseeking behaviors (e.g., keeping tabs on one's children and helping them make decisions) were associated with better decisionmaking and better academic functioning in college student offspring.…”

Odraslost U Nastajanju, Status Identiteta I Roditeljska Kontrola

“…Posebna vrsta kontrole su ponašanja takozvanih "helikopter" roditelja (Holden, 2010). Helikopter roditeljstvo predstavlja konstelaciju roditeljskih ponašanja koja uključuju visoku angažiranost, visoku kontrolu i nisko dopuštanje autonomije djetetu u različitim kontekstima (Luebbe et al, 2016;Padilla-Walker & Nelson, 2012). Takvo ponašanje motivirano je roditeljskom brigom za dobrobit i uspjeh svoje djece, ali je neprimjereno intruzivno i upravljajuće (Padilla-Walker & Nelson, 2012) te ima negativne efekte na psihološku dobrobit odraslih u nastajanju (Segrin, Woszidlo, Givertz, & Montgomery, 2013).…”