Relationship between Helicopter Parenting and Chinese Elementary School Child Procrastination: A Mediated Moderation Model

Abstract

Background: The family environment is essential for elementary school children’s development. With smartphone penetration into all aspects of people’s lives, how parenting affects children’s behavior may show new patterns. Objective: This study constructed a mediated moderation model, focusing on the mediating role of child self-control and parental phubbing to clarify the relationship between helicopter parenting (over-parenting) and child procrastination and its mechanisms. Methods: The Smartphone Addiction Scale for Chinese Adults, Brief Self-Control Scale, Over-Parenting Questionnaire, and Short General Procrastination Scale were employed to investigate 562 elementary school-age children and their parents. Results: After data analysis, this study showed the following: (1) helicopter parenting was significantly and positively related to child self-control, child procrastination, and parental smartphone use; (2) child self-control partially mediated the relationship between helicopter parenting and child procrastination; and (3) pathways between helicopter parenting and child self-control were moderated by mother-phubbing behavior. Conclusion: These findings inform parents of their roles in family education.

Parenting style and children emotion management skills among Chinese children aged 3–6: the chain mediation effect of self-control and peer interactions

“…“Helicopter parents” interfere and manipulate their children’s thoughts and behavior always, and help them decide everything. In this kind of authoritarian family in China, children are only responsible for studying, working and living according to the path planned by their parents or other adults, so there are a large number of “giant babies” with high scores and low abilities who can only study but not actually live ( Zhang et al, 2022 ). Their emotional changes are completely dependent on their parents’ approval, and their emotional stability is brought about by getting used to being planned every step of the way.…”

Parental Phubbing and Child Social-Emotional Adjustment: A Meta-Analysis of Studies Conducted in China

“…(2020) 82 411 19.82 0.38 PPS P Int Thesis C Good Zhang and Jin. (2022) 83 1189 – 0.51 PPS P Int Thesis C Good Zhang et al (2021) 84 471 13.46 0.40 PPS P Int, Self Journal C Good Zhang et al (2022) 85 812 – 0.43 PPS P Int, Ext, Self Journal C Good Zhang, Zhang et al (2022) 86 562 8.817 0.505 PPS F, M SEC Journal C Good Zhao et al (2023) 87 914 12.61 0.50 PPS P Ext Journal C Good Zhou et al (2022) 88 1...…”

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

“…These factors increase the probability that parents will employ helicopter parenting. Although some researchers suggest that parents have good intentions when employing helicopter parenting (i.e., to protect children from harm; Su et al, 2022) and that helicopter parenting (particularly when it operates in a context of high parental warmth) is not absolutely negatively related to children's outcomes (Nelson et al, 2015; Padilla‐Walker et al, 2019; Wu et al, 2023), the prevailing view is that helicopter parenting is detrimental to children's development because it prevents the satisfaction of children's basic psychological needs and compromises their self‐system processes (Ryan & Deci, 2020; Zhang et al, 2022). The majority of previous research shows that helicopter parenting is closely and positively associated with children's adaptation and health problems (such as low self‐efficacy, low interpersonal skills, decisional procrastination, depression, and substance abuse; Cook, 2020; Darlow et al, 2017; Wu et al, 2023).…”