Abstract
Alcohol use, which is often associated with other problems in well-being, is a persistent problem among college students. Helicopter parenting, defined as parental overinvolvement, is an emerging parenting behavior that could be associated with alcohol use among college students. This study of 473 female undergraduate students investigated the association between helicopter parenting and alcohol use through psychological needs satisfaction and self-control. Structural equation modeling suggested that helicopter parenting was associated with higher levels of alcohol use through lower levels of psychological needs satisfaction and self-control. The implications for college students, parents of college students, educators, and university administrators are also discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.
References
Abar, C., & Turrisi, R. (2008). How important are parents during the college years? A longitudinal perspective of indirect influences parents yield on their college teens’ alcohol use. Addictive Behaviors, 33, 1360–1368. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2008.06.010.
Allen, J. P., Hauser, S. T., Bell, K. L., & O’Connor, T. G. (1994). Longitudinal assessment of autonomy and relatedness in adolescent-family interactions as predictors of adolescent ego development and self-esteem. Child Development, 65, 179–194. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1994.tb00743.x.
American College Health Association. (2016). American College Health Association National College Health Assessment. Retrieved October 28, 2016, from http://www.acha-ncha.org/reports_ACHA-NCHAIIc.html.
Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55, 469–471. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.5.469.
Baumeister, R. F., Vohs, K. D., & Tice, D. M. (2007). The strength model of self-control. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16, 351–355. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2007.00534.x.
Betts, J., Gullone, E., & Allen, J. S. (2009). An examination of emotion regulation, temperament, and parenting style as potential predictors of adolescent depression risk status: A correlational study. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 27, 473–485. https://doi.org/10.1348/026151008X314900.
Bradley-Geist, J., & Olson-Buchanan, B., J (2014). Helicopter parents: An examination of the correlates of over-parenting of college students. Education & Training, 56, 314–328. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-10-2012-0096.
Carver, C. S., & Scheier, M. F. (1982). Control theory: A useful conceptual framework for personality-social, clinical, and health psychology. Psychological Bulletin, 92, 111–135. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.92.1.111.
Chang, L., Schwartz, D., Dodge, K. A., & McBride-Chang, C. (2003). Harsh parenting in relation to child emotion regulation and aggression. Journal of Family Psychology, 17, 598–615. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.17.4.598.
Cooper, M. L. (2002). Alcohol use and risky sexual behavior among college students and youth: Evaluating the evidence. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, Supplement, 14, 101–117. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsas.2002.s14.101.
Cui, M., Graber, J., Metz, A., & Darling, C. (2016). Parental indulgence, self-regulation, and young adults’ behavioral and emotional problems. Journal of Family Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/13229400.2016.1237884.
Cui, M., Lorenz, F. O., Conger, R. D., Melby, J. N., & Bryant, C. M. (2005). Observer, self-, and partner reports of hostile behaviors in romantic relationships. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67, 1169–1181. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2005.00208.x.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227–268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Self-determination theory: A macrotheory of human motivation, development, and health. Canadian Psychology, 49, 182–197. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0012801.
Earle, A. M., & LaBrie, J. W. (2016). The upside of helicopter parenting: Engaging parents to reduce first-year student drinking. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 53, 319–330. https://doi.org/10.1080/19496591.2016.1165108.
Fischer, J. L., Forthun, L. F., Pidcock, B. W., & Dowd, D. A. (2007). Parent relationships, emotion regulation, psychosocial maturity and college student alcohol use problems. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 36, 912–919. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-006-9126-6.
Hagger, M. S., Wood, C., Stiff, C., & Chatzisarantis, N. L. (2010). Ego depletion and the strength model of self-control: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 136, 495–509. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019486.
Haverfield, M. C., & Theiss, J. A. (2016). Parental communication of responsiveness and control as predictors of adolescents’ emotional and behavioral resilience in families with alcoholic versus nonalcoholic parents. Human Communication Research, 43, 214–236. https://doi.org/10.1111/hcre.12102.
Hingson, R., Heeren, T., Winter, M., & Wechsler, H. (2005). Magnitude of alcohol-related mortality and morbidity among US college students ages 18–24: Changes from 1998 to 2001. Annual Review of Public Health, 26, 259–279. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.26.021304.144652.
Hingson, R. W., Zha, W., & Weitzman, E. R. (2009). Magnitude of and trends in alcohol-related mortality and morbidity among US college students ages 18–24, 1998–2005. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, Supplement, 16, 12–20. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsads.2009.s16.12.
Karwacki, S. B., & Bradley, J. R. (1996). Coping, drinking motives, goal attainment expectancies and family models in relation to alcohol use among college students. Journal of Drug Education, 26, 243–255. https://doi.org/10.2190/A1P0-J36H-TLMJ-0L32.
Kline, R. B. (2015). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling. New York: Guilford Publications.
Kwon, K., Yoo, G., & Bingham, G. E. (2015). Helicopter parenting in emerging adulthood: Support or barrier for Korean college students’ psychological adjustment? Journal of Child and Family Studies, 25, 136–145. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-015-0195-6.
Laible, D. (2007). Attachment with parents and peers in late adolescence: Links with emotional competence and social behavior. Personality and Individual Differences, 43, 1185–1197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2007.03.010.
LeMoyne, T., & Buchanan, T. (2011). Does “hovering” matter? Helicopter parenting and its effect on well-being. Sociological Spectrum, 31, 399–418. https://doi.org/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 and Counselling, 22, 249–265. https://doi.org/10.1017/jgc.2012.29.
Morris, A. S., Silk, J. S., Steinberg, L., Myers, S. S., & Robinson, L. R. (2007). The role of the family context in the development of emotion regulation. Social Development, 16, 361–388. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9507.2007.00389.x.
Muraven, M., Collins, R. L., & Neinhaus, K. (2002). Self-control and alcohol restraint: An initial application of the self-control strength model. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 16, 113–124. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-164X.16.2.113.
Muraven, M., Rosman, H., & Gagné, M. (2007). Lack of autonomy and self-control: Performance contingent rewards lead to greater depletion. Motivation and Emotion, 31, 322–330. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-007-9073-x.
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, 282–285. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696815576458.
Noom, M. J., Deković, M., & Meeus, W. H. (1999). Autonomy, attachment and psychosocial adjustment during adolescence: A double-edged sword? Journal of Adolescence, 22, 771–783. https://doi.org/10.1006/jado.1999.0269.
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. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2012.03.007.
Patock-Peckham, J. A., Cheong, J., Balhorn, M. E., & Nagoshi, C. T. (2001). A social learning perspective: A model of parenting styles, self-regulation, perceived drinking control, and alcohol use and problems. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 25, 1284–1292. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-0277.2001.tb02349.x.
Roth, G., Assor, A., Niemiec, C. P., Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2009). The emotional and academic consequences of parental conditional regard: Comparing conditional positive regard, conditional negative regard, and autonomy support as parenting practices. Developmental Psychology, 45, 1119–1130. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015272.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68–80. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68.
Schafer, J. L. (1997). Analysis of incomplete multivariate data. Boca Raton, FL: CRC.
Schiffrin, H. H., Liss, M., Miles-Mclean, H., Geary, K. A., Erchull, M. J., & Tashner, T. (2013). Helping or hovering? The effects of helicopter parenting on college students’ well-being. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 23, 548–557. https://doi.org/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 and Family Studies, 24, 470–479. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-013-9858-3.
Segrin, C., Woszidlo, A., Givertz, M., & Montgomery, N. (2013). Parent and child traits associated with overparenting. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 32, 569–595. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2013.32.6.569.
Tangney, J. P., Baumeister, R. F., & Boone, A. L. (2004). High self-control predicts good adjustment, less pathology, better grades, and interpersonal success. Journal of Personality, 72, 271–324. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-3506.2004.00263.x.
Tice, D. M., & Bratslavsky, E. (2000). Giving in to feel good: The place of emotion regulation in the context of general self-control. Psychological Inquiry, 11, 149–159. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1103_03.
Turner, E. A., Chandler, M., & Heffer, R. W. (2009). The influence of parenting styles, achievement motivation, and self-efficacy on academic performance in college students. Journal of College Student Development, 50, 337–346. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.0.0073.
van Ingen, D. J., Freiheit, S. R., Steinfeldt, J. A., Moore, L. L., Wimer, D. J., Knutt, A. D., … Roberts, A. (2015). Helicopter parenting: The effect of an overbearing caregiving style on peer attachment and self-efficacy. Journal of College Counseling, 18, 7–20. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1882.2015.00065.x.
Wechsler, H., Dowdall, G. W., Davenport, A., & Rimm, E. B. (1995). A gender-specific measure of binge drinking among college students. American Journal of Public Health, 85, 982–985. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.85.7.982.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cui, M., Allen, J.W., Fincham, F.D. et al. Helicopter Parenting, Self-regulatory Processes, and Alcohol Use among Female College Students. J Adult Dev 26, 97–104 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-018-9301-5
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-018-9301-5