Kevin Shaw, M.S.
Graduate Student
School Psychology Program
Miami University
shawkd3@miamioh.edu
Amity Noltemeyer, Ph.D., NCSP
Assistant Professor
School Psychology Program
Miami University
anoltemeyer@miamioh.edu
Supportive parenting during childhood, adolescence, and emerging adulthood is associated with several positive outcomes for young adults. For example, emerging adults who have experienced supportive, authoritative parenting in childhood and adolescence have shown enhanced competence, resilience, self-esteem, self-actualization, psychological adjustment, and healthy relationships (Nelson, Padilla-Walker, Christensen, Evans, & Carroll, 2011). In addition, the absence of warm, supportive, and involved parent relationships can lead to negative outcomes, including depression and relationship strain in early adulthood (Nelson, Padilla-Walker, Christensen, Evans, & Carroll, 2011). Despite the benefits of parental support, there is mounting evidence that excessive support beyond supportive parenting can also lead to negative outcomes, as evidenced by recent research on helicopter parenting.
What is Helicopter Parenting?
Helicopter parenting, (also known as “overparenting,” “lawnmower parents,” “or “tiger moms,” among other terms) is a term used to refer to a type of parenting in which parents are overly involved in their child’s affairs, providing excessive support beyond what is developmentally appropriate for that child’s needs (LeMoyne & Buchanan, 2011). This type of parenting appears in different ways, but in all cases the support is excessive and may not allow the child to adequately problem solve or persevere.
Helicopter parents may expect too little of their child and not provide opportunities for the child to achieve realistically challenging goals (Locke, Campbell, & Kavanagh, 2012). They may also be overly responsive to the child’s needs, not allowing the child to attempt to solve a problem by him or herself (Locke, Campbell, & Kavanagh, 2012). Other helicopter parents may display overly high demands for their child and then excessively supervise or monitor their behavior so that these demands are met (Locke, Campbell, & Kavanagh, 2012). Specific examples of helicopter parenting behaviors are provided in a later section.
Motives for these displays of helicopter parenting are typically thought to be positive in nature, as these parents often want what is best for the child (Odenweller, Booth-Butterfield, & Weber, 2014). However, some evidence suggests that when these behaviors are displayed without accompanying parental warmth (demonstrating love and affection), it appears that child outcomes (in this case, negative self-worth and higher levels of risk behaviors) may be significantly worse (Nelson, Padilla-Walker, & Nielson, 2015).
Table 1 provides some examples of both supportive parenting and helicopter parenting.
Table 1
Examples of Supportive Parenting and Helicopter Parenting
Examples of supportive parenting | Examples of HELICOPTER parenting |
• Encouraging your child to develop appropriate study habits, or to independently ask how to improve a grade. • Supporting your child in disagreements, but also implementing consequences when necessary. • Recognizing that there is inherent risk in many aspects of life, and helping children make safe choices (e.g. wearing a seatbelt, remaining alert while walking). • Correcting a child when their actions are socially inappropriate (e.g. spitting on a stranger) or dangerous (e.g. walking into traffic). • Editing an admissions essay, or reminding the child that the application is due in the near future. • Being available for advice on social situations if requested by your child. |
• Blaming the school/teachers for a failed test or quiz when your child did not adequately prepare. • Taking the child’s perception as fact, regardless of the facts in the situation or statements of others. • Not allowing an adolescent to drive or pursue other developmentally appropriate independent activities (e.g. walking home alone) due to the potential for danger. • Constantly instructing a child in public places (e.g. “Don’t do that,” “move away,” “sit down”) and not allowing the child to experience natural consequences. • Completing a college application for your child or calling admissions to ask for an extension on an application. • Inserting oneself into a teenager’s social disagreements with a peer or romantic partner. |
Outcomes Linked to Helicopter Parenting
Helicopter parenting is linked to several offspring outcomes. Specifically, it has been associated with increased depression (Schiffrin et al., 2014), anxiety and stress (LeMoyne & Buchanan, 2011), use of medication for depression and anxiety (LeMoyne & Buchanan, 2011), drug abuse (LeMoyne & Buchanan, 2011), ineffective coping skills (e.g. distancing, internalizing, and withdrawing; Segrin, Woszidlo, Givertz, & Montgomery, 2013), narcissism (Segrin, Woszidlo, Givertz, & Montgomery, 2013), entitlement (Segrin, Woszidlo, Givertz, Bauer, & Taylor Murphy, 2012), neuroticism (Odenweller, Booth-Butterfield, & Weber, 2014), and interpersonal dependency (Odenweller, Booth-Butterfield, & Weber, 2014). In addition, helicopter parenting is associated with decreased overall well-being (LeMoyne & Buchanan, 2011), satisfaction with life (Schiffrin et al., 2014), autonomy (Schiffrin et al., 2014), competence (Schiffrin et al., 2014), relatedness (Schiffrin et al., 2014), engagement with school (Padilla-Walker & Nelson, 2012), overall adjustment levels (Odenweller, Booth-Butterfield, & Weber, 2014), feelings of connection with parents and others (Segrin, Givertz, Swaitkowski, & Montgomery, 2015), social and general self- efficacy (Bradley-Geist & Olson-Buchanan, 2014; Givertz & Segrin, 2014; van Ingen et al., 2012), life satisfaction with parents (Fingerman et al., 2012), and coping efficacy (Odenweller, Booth-Butterfield, & Weber, 2014).
Despite the negative outcomes listed above, some studies have been less conclusive. For example, one study found no association between helicopter parenting and identity achievement, feeling like an adult, or self-worth (Padilla-Walker & Nelson, 2012). Similarly, another study found no relationship between helicopter parenting and self-efficacy, and additionally found no relationship between helicopter parenting and emotional intelligence or relationships with others (Segrin, Woszidlo, Givertz, Bauer, & Taylor Murphy, 2012). Finally, helicopter parenting was shown in one study to be associated with a better sense of goals and general life satisfaction (Fingerman et al., 2012), a positive result.
Table 2
Advice for Parents and Professionals
Advice | Cautions | ||
|
Provide ample opportunities for students to develop their self-competence and problem solving skills in the classroom or at school. Provide parents with information regarding appropriate developmental stages and opportunities that may be beneficial to their child. |
Do not assume that these characteristics are intentional or malicious: these parenting behaviors are often displayed out of parental love and protection of their child. Be aware that teachers and instructional aides may also display some of these excessively supportive behaviors, despite not being the “parent” in the scenario. |
|
|
Provide a loving, safe, and supportive environment for the child Let your child solve their own problems and be willing to let them struggle through finding a solution on their own |
Be cautious not to become enmeshed in the life of your child, particularly during the periods of adolescence and emerging adulthood Be wary of shielding your child from the consequences of their actions or from experiencing the world around them. Don’t be afraid to let a child learn on their own, be creative, and experience moderate failures |
Conclusion
Parenting is a rewarding but difficult task, and it would be impossible to give complete guidance on the intricacies and situations that may occur. However, this paper is designed to provide insight into how to help children and adolescents build their own resilience and healthy connections, rather than over-reliance on the adults in their lives.
References
Bradley-Geist J.C., & Olson-Buchanan, J. B. (2014). Helicopter parents: An examination of the correlates of over-parenting of college students. Education + Training, 56(4). 314-328.
Fingerman, K. L., Cheng, Y. P., Wesselmann, E. D., Zarit, S., Furstenberg, F., & Birditt, K. S. (2012). Helicopter parents and landing pad kids: Intense parental support of grown children. Journal of Marriage and Family, 74(4), 880-896.
Givertz, M., & Segrin, C. (2014). The association between overinvolved parenting and young adults’ self-efficacy, psychological entitlement, and family communication. Communication Research, 41(8), 1111-1136. doi:10.1177/0093650212456392.
LeMoyne, T., & Buchanan, T. (2011). Does 'hovering' matter? Helicopter parenting and its effect on well-being. Sociological Spectrum, 31(4), 399-418. doi:10.1080/02732173.2011.574038
Locke, J. Y., Campbell, M. A., & Kavanagh, D. (2012). Can a parent do too much for their child? An examination by parenting professionals of the concept of overparenting. Australian Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 22(2), 249-265. doi:10.1017/jgc.2012.29
Nelson, L. J., Padilla-Walker, L. M., Christensen, K. J., Evans, C. A., & Carroll, J. S. (2011). Parenting in emerging adulthood: An examination of parenting clusters and correlates. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40(6), 730-743
Nelson, L. J., Padilla-Walker, L. M., & Nielson, M. G. (2015). Is Hovering smothering or loving? An examination of parental warmth as a moderator of relations between helicopter parenting and emerging adults’ indices of adjustment. Emerging
Adulthood, 3(4), 282-285. DOI: 10.1177/2167696815576458
Odenweller, K. G., Booth-Butterfield, M., & Weber, K. (2014). Investigating helicopter parenting, family environments, and relational outcomes for millennials. Communication Studies, 65(4), 407-425. doi:10.1080/10510974.2013.811434
Padilla-Walker, L. M., & Nelson, L. J. (2012). Black hawk down?: Establishing Helicopter parenting as a distinct construct from other forms of parental control during emerging adulthood. Journal of Adolescence, 35, 1177-1190. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2012.03.007
Rousseau, S., & Scharf, M. (2015). “I will guide you”: The indirect link between overparenting and young adults׳ adjustment. Psychiatry Research, 228(3), 826-834. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2015.05.016.
Schiffrin, H., Liss, M., Miles-McLean, H., Geary, K., Erchull, M., & Tashner, T. (2014). Helping or hovering? The effects of helicopter parenting on college students' well-being. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 23(3), 548-557. doi:10.1007/s10826-013-9716-3
Segrin, C., Givertz, M., Swaitkowski, P., & Montgomery, N. (2015). Overparenting is associated with child problems and a critical family environment. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 24(2), 470-479. doi:10.1007/s10826-013-9858-3
Segrin, C., Woszidlo, A., Giv ertz, M., Bauer, A., & Taylor Murphy, M. (2012). The association between overparenting, parent-child communication, and entitlement and adaptive traits in adult children. Family Relations, 61(2), 237-252
Segrin, C., Woszidlo, A., Givertz, M., & Montgomery, N. (2013). Parent and child traits associated with overparenting. Journal of Social And Clinical Psychology, 32(6), 569-595. van Ingen, D. J., Freiheit, S. R., Steinfeldt, J. A., Moore, L. L., Wimer, D. J., Knutt, A. D., ... & Roberts, A. (2012). Helicopter parenting: The effect of an overbearing caregiving style on peer attachment and selfefficacy. Journal of College Counseling, 18(1), 7-20.
Kevin Shaw, M.S., is a graduate student in the School Psychology program at Miami University. He graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Dayton. Kevin's interests include resilience and parenting, as well as universal promotion of social and emotional health in school settings.
Amity Noltemeyer, Ph.D., NCSP, earned her Ed.S. in school psychology from Miami University and her Ph.D. in school psychology from Kent State University. She also acquired experience working as a school psychologist and consultant. Dr. Noltemeyer is currently an Assistant Professor in School Psychology at Miami University where she also serves as internship coordinator and co-manages a program evaluation grant. She is a Past President of OSPA. Her research interests include disproportionality, resilience, and implementation of Response to Intervention.