Fight back against the stress: The effects of parental job insecurity on career networking behaviors of emerging adults

Abstract

Introduction This study investigates whether and how parental job insecurity motivates emerging adults' career networking behaviors. Using the framework of ecological system theory, we particularly focus on the sequential mediating role that overparenting behavior and emerging adults' intolerance of uncertainty could play. Methods We recruit 741 fresh undergraduates (63.2% females) and their parents from the city of Jinan, Province Shandong in China. All of the participants are between the ages of 17 and 20 years. We apply a structural equation model using data obtained from multiple sources (i.e., fathers, mothers, and their children) at two time points to test our research model. Results and Conclusions The results from the structural equation model support the spillover effect of paternal and maternal job insecurity on overparenting behavior. Overparenting is significantly related to emerging adults' intolerance of uncertainty. In turn, emerging adults' intolerance of uncertainty is positively associated with their career networking behavior. The results also support the indirect effect, which demonstrates that parental job insecurity indirectly leads to emerging adults' career networking behavior via overparenting behavior and emerging adults' intolerance of uncertainty. This study builds on and extends existing research on parental job insecurity and career networking behavior by systematically bringing together the streams of research on youth development and organizational behavior. Specific theoretical implications and limitations are discussed as well.

Why do parents employ helicopter parenting in the post‐COVID‐19 era? An actor‐partner interdependence mediation model

“…Currently, recurrent outbreaks of the pandemic aggravate economic instability, lower people's income, and increase parents' concerns about future financial fitness (Kerr et al, 2021; Kochhar & Sechopoulos, 2022). This stressful and insecure situation of threatened resource loss can induce parents to conserve resources and protect children from external harm (Wang & Lin, 2023). Parents need to not only worry about the adequacy of their own future resources but also plan for the future of their children.…”

“…In other words, to address the lack of psychological resources, individuals invest in their most satisfying or rewarding resources. Helicopter parenting is regarded as an effective resource conservation behavior (Wang & Lin, 2023). An alternative explanation is that helicopter parenting is a projection of parents' insecurity caused by the uncertainty of the external economic environment regarding their children (Segrin et al, 2012).…”

“…An alternative explanation is that helicopter parenting is a projection of parents' insecurity caused by the uncertainty of the external economic environment regarding their children (Segrin et al, 2012). Parental PFEU may increase parents' insecurity and decrease their sense of control over the environment (Lian et al, 2022; Mittal & Griskevicius, 2014), which further lowers their threshold of worry and activates behaviors to protect their children from external harm (Wang & Lin, 2023).…”