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Evaluating the Structure and Correlates of Helicopter Parenting in Mainland China

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Abstract

Helicopter Parenting (HP) refers to parenting behaviors such as overinvolvement and developmentally inappropriate support during late adolescence and emerging adulthood. To date, this construct has mainly been examined in Western cultures. This research developed and validated a multi-dimensional HP measure for mothers and late-adolescent children in Mainland China. Study 1 explored initial factor structure of HP with an online sample of Mainland Chinese mothers (N = 433; Mage = 43.63 years). Study 2 confirmed this structure with a new online sample of mothers (N = 461; Mage = 44.39 years), and assessed construct invariance between mothers of high school and college students. Study 3 confirmed this HP structure with mother-adolescent dyads (N = 248; Mothers: Mage = 44.29 years; Adolescents: Mage = 17.37 years) and assessed construct invariance and construct validity between dyad members. Across the three studies, results suggested a 16-item measure with four factors (advice/affect management, anticipatory problem solving, information-seeking, and emphasis on academic performance), which also loaded on a higher-order HP factor. The measure had good internal consistencies (αs ≥ 0.844). Fits for mother-reported high school and college student measurement invariance model, and mother-adolescent invariance model were acceptable when constraining all factor loadings. Mother and adolescent HP reports were modestly positively correlated. Within-respondent correlations in Studies 2 and 3 showed that the total HP scores were positively correlated with behavioral control and emotional support. However, mother-reported HP was negatively correlated with adolescent-reported emotional support, suggesting discrepant views about which parenting behaviors are helpful vs. overbearing. Mother- and adolescent-reported HP scores were not related to adolescent-reported psychological control or self-efficacy. This study offers a concise, multidimensional Chinese HP measure which is useful to examine Chinese mother-adolescent reporter discrepancies, as well as associations between Chinese HP and youth’s psychological functioning.

Highlights

  • This research developed a 16-item measure of HP, with four factors, that was invariant between mothers’ and adolescents’ reports in Mainland China.

  • Results suggested that Chinese mothers and their adolescent children differed in views of the extent to which parenting behaviors were supportive vs. overbearing.

  • In contrast to Western studies, HP was not associated with youth perceptions of psychological control or self-efficacy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, The People’s Republic of China

    Wenqing Zong & Skyler T. Hawk

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  1. Wenqing Zong
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  2. Skyler T. Hawk
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Correspondence to Wenqing Zong.

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Appendix I Chinese Version of Helicopter Parenting Measure (Parent survey)

Appendix I Chinese Version of Helicopter Parenting Measure (Parent survey)

1. 我给我的孩子做事情的建议。

2. 为了帮我的孩子完成任务, 我通常给他/她一些建议。

3. 我会告诉我的孩子如何计划某些活动。

4. 我对孩子说一些话或者做一些事让他/她高兴起来。

5. 我和孩子交流如何处理他/她遇到的各种情况。

6. 我努力在我的孩子遇到问题之前为他/她解决问题。

7. 如果我能看到我的孩子将要遇到某种困难, 我会介入并在他/她遇到困难之前处理。

8. 我努力帮我的孩子避免他/她在世界上可能遇到的任何麻烦。

9. 我试图预测妨碍我的孩子实现目标的事, 并在它变成问题之前解决。

10. 我想知道孩子社交生活的一些细节。

11. 我想知道孩子每日安排的细节。

12. 我想了解我的孩子每天的最新情况。

13. 我想了解我孩子的行踪的最新情况。

14. 我经常向老师咨询我孩子的学业进展。

15. 我尽一切努力提高孩子的学业成绩。

16. 我非常关注孩子的考试。

*17. 我会注意确保我的孩子的财务需求得到了满足。

*18. 我不希望我的孩子担心财务状况以及他/她的花销是多少。

*19. 我很乐意为我的孩子做家务, 比如做饭, 打扫和洗衣服。

Advice/affect management: 1-5

Anticipatory problem solving: 6-9

Information seeking: 10-13

Emphasis on academic performance:14-16

*Tangible assistance: 17-19

(*This subscale could be used when participants only include mothers)

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Zong, W., Hawk, S.T. Evaluating the Structure and Correlates of Helicopter Parenting in Mainland China. J Child Fam Stud 31, 2436–2453 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-022-02370-6

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