Helicopter parenting and parent-child attachment

Helicopter parenting is the colloquial term that refers to a unique patterning of parenting dimensions that result in a style both high in behavioral control and levels of warmth and support, and low in autonomy-granting (Padilla-Walker & Nelson, 2012). Parental attachment– distinct from helicopter parenting–typically involves the initial relationship between parent and child which affects the child’s overall life satisfaction and well-being (mainly in areas associated with relationships, motivation, and health-related behaviors). Despite what areas may overlap between parent-child attachment and helicopter parenting, little research has been done on the relation among these variables. The current study examined the associations among helicopter parenting and attachment and explored their relations with college life variables (i.e. school engagement, academic entitlement, academic motivation and achievement, drinking behavior, and disordered eating). In general, helicopter parenting and overall attachment were found to have an inverse relationship in which high perceived helicopter parenting indicated a lower feeling of overall attachment. Future research is needed to further examine the relation between these variables and to replicate the current findings. HELICOPTER PARENTING AND PARENT-CHILD ATTACHMENT 6 Helicopter Parenting and Parent-Child Attachment Parental support and engagement in a child’s life has generally been considered positive. However in recent years, perceptions of highlyinvolved parents have shifted from supportive to over-intrusive. These “helicopter parents” are depicted in popular media as meddling entities, constantly hovering over their young adult child in areas of decision making, academic studies, and social relationships (Shoup, Gonyea, & Kuh, 2009). This involvement stops benefitting the child and some believe it could be interfering with learning and development (Colavecchio-Van Sickler, 2006; Lipka, 2005; Taylor, 2007). University student affair professionals report that this level of involvement is happening at increased levels of intensity and minutiae (Carney-Hall, 2008; Wartman & Savage, 2008). Few scholarly studies have been done examining the consequences of excessive parent involvement. Despite this, colleges and universities in recent years have begun to intervene with the over-involvement of parents in order to reduce conflict (Shoup, Gonyea, & Kuh, 2009; Coburn, 2006; Cutright 2008). Advancements in technology have made frequent communications between campus and home cheaper and more accessible. Parents are able to maintain close contact with their students easily (Lipka, 2005). A survey by the College Parents of America (2006) found that 74 percent of parents communicate with their college students at least two to three times weekly, with a third communicating daily. They further found that 90% frequently used a cell phone to stay in touch compared with 26% using a landline or 7% using regular mail (Shoup, Gonyea, & Kuh, 2009). Additionally, the arrival of the “Millennial” student generation on campus has contributed to increases in parental involvement (Carney-Hall, 2008; Wartman & Savage, 2008). “Millennials” is the term classifying the ‘new’ generation of students born after 1982. According HELICOPTER PARENTING AND PARENT-CHILD ATTACHMENT 7 to Shoup, Gonyea, and Kuh (2009), the Millennial generation is described as being more sheltered and closer to parents than past generations. Close parental contact and monitoring during childhood is believed to continue into the college years as parents continue to stay in close contact with their children (Shoup, Gonyea, & Kuh, 2009; Howe & Strauss, 2003; Taylor, 2006). Despite the negative consequences on the students (for instance, a contribution to the Millenial’s risk adversity and fear of ambiguity) parents see no reason to change their parenting approach after the student has moved out of the house and onto campus (Alexander, 2012; Lum, 2006). Together with the advances in technology, parents have an expectation of consistent and timely communication with their sons and daughters while they are in college. Millennial students may feel pressure to always make the “right” decision, and being unprepared due to having so much of their lives structured in the past; these students often turn back to their parents for advice (Shoup, Gonyea, & Kuh, 2009; Coburn, 2006). In the current study, undergraduate students were surveyed examining the relations between helicopter parenting and attachment. In addition, college life outcomes thought to be affected by these variables (i.e. school engagement, academic achievement, motivation, academic entitlement, drinking behavior, and disordered eating) were explored. Helicopter Parenting The ‘helicopter parent’ is a term quickly becoming part of the American educational vocabulary, even to the extent that subspecies of helicopter parents are emerging. For example the Black Hawk parent—a helicopter parent whose behavior is not only excessive but in some cases unethical (Wartman & Savage, 2008)—joins lawnmower parents (mowing down anything in their way), submarine parents (hidden below the surface and popping up to attack when things go wrong), and stealth missiles (arriving under the radar and destroying any obstacles in their HELICOPTER PARENTING AND PARENT-CHILD ATTACHMENT 8 path) (Wartman & Savage, 2008). As public knowledge of this phenomenon increases, so does the literature. A growing number of studies have emerged examining the effects helicopter parents have on their college-aged sons and daughters. Despite this emergence however, a consensus is lacking on what this parenting style actually entails. Generally, the term ‘helicopter parent’ has been used to refer to parents who are over-solicitous and apply developmentally impairing tactics to their sons and daughters who are otherwise able to assume autonomy (Segrin et al., 2012). For the purpose of this study, helicopter parenting will be explored by examining three common themes in the literature: (a) [high] support shown to a child (acceptance, affection, involvement, and nurturance) aimed at forming an emotional connection with the child, (b) [high] behavioral control (limit setting, supervision, and reasoning about consequences) of the child aimed at promoting mature behavior, and (c) [low] autonomy granting (disallowing choice, prohibiting child input into rule making, discouraging the expression of ideas, and other intrusive behavior) aimed at discouraging emotional and psychological self-reliance (Padilla-Walker & Nelson, 2012). Helicopter parenting has been largely associated with psychological and behavioral problems in young adult development, likely because it is not conducive to promoting growth (Padilla-Walker & Nelson, 2012; Segrin, et al., 2012). Instead, it limits the opportunities of emerging adults to take on responsibilities that will help teach them to become self-reliant during and after college. While helicopter parenting has been associated with the harmful effects on child development, aspects of parental support that are considered positive have traditionally been associated with parent-child attachment. Attachment HELICOPTER PARENTING AND PARENT-CHILD ATTACHMENT 9 Attachment, like “Helicopter Parenting,” has been found to have associations with several areas of a son or daughter’s academics and health (Kolkhorst et al., 2010; Labrie & Sessoms, 2012; Milan & Acker, 2014). The original theory of attachment developed in the 1930s, with John Bowlby's growing interest in the association of maternal loss or deprivation and later personality development (Bretherton, 1992). Around the same time, Mary Ainsworth's interest in security theory was beginning to draw similar conclusions about attachment (Ainsworth, 1989). Bowlby and Ainsworth began to collaborate in 1950 when Bowlby formulated the initial blueprint of attachment theory, drawing on ethology, control systems theory, and psychoanalytic thinking. Together they were responsible for developing a theory explaining the mother-child bond that has been supported in studies since its inception. As research interest grew, the operational definition of parental attachment developed beyond the infant and mother bond. Parental attachment now refers generally to the initial relationship between a parent or other caregiver and his or her child which later affects how the child forms friendships and romantic relationships (Kolkhorst et al., 2010). Perceived level of attachment has been found to have the potential to influence several aspects of behavior throughout the child’s lifetime. Past research has demonstrated the notion that perceived parental attachment has a positive influence on academic achievement and motivation, and a negative influence on alcohol consumption and abuse (Kolkhorst et al., 2010; Labrie & Sessoms, 2012; Milan & Acker, 2014). Research focusing on the function of parent-child attachment and separation during the leaving home process is limited. In the absence of a substantial body of empirical literature, the most commonly held notions of parent-child bonds are derived from theoretical (Blos, 1967; Freud 1969) and clinical (Bloom, 1980; Elson 1964; Kestenbaum, 1978; Stierlin, 1981) literature, which present a general belief that departure requires a loosening of HELICOPTER PARENTING AND PARENT-CHILD ATTACHMENT 10 family ties. Previous literature has not examined the relation between attachment and the college life variable, school engagement; however school engagement has been associated with helicopter parenting (Padilla-Walker & Nelson, 2012).