Exploring the Parental Role in First-Year Students’ Emotional Well-Being: Considerations by Gender

Abstract

During a time of growing parental involvement in the lives of collegegoing students, this study examines how interactions with parents relate to students' sense of emotional well-being and how this varies by gender. Using longitudinal data on first-year college students at one institution, the study reveals the importance of both quality and quantity of studentparent interactions, and describes how this varies by the gender of the student and the parent.The historical concept of in loco parentis, whereby higher education institutions served "in the place of a parent" by assuming legal responsibility over students and closely monitoring student behavior, was replaced in the 1960s by an acceptance of college students as independent adults (Wartman & Savage, 2008). Since then, and especially over the last decade, parents have become increasingly engaged in the everyday lives of their college-going children (Carney-Hall, 2008;Wartman & Savage, 2008). This shift was prompted by increased college costs resulting in parents making a greater investment in their children's college experiences ( Johnstone, 2005) and technological advancements that make it easier for parents and students to regularly communicate (Hofer & Moore, 2010). Parents' increased involvement may also be driven by "emerging adulthood," an extended post-adolescent period during which individuals in their late teens through mid-twenties experience self-focused identity exploration, instability, and are uncertain as to the proper amount of interaction they should have with their parents (Arnett, 2006).The literature is conflicted on how connected parents should be to their college-going children. The increased involvement of parents in college is often portrayed negatively in the media as "helicopter" parenting, a constant hovering behavior believed to stunt student growth (Hofer & Moore, 2010). Conversely, some research has found that more frequent communication with parents correlates with student growth and progress (Wolf, Sax, & Harper, 2009). Understanding how parental involvement relates to student development becomes increasingly important as the college student population connects more with their parents. Innovations in Research and Scholarship FeaturesBrought to you by | University of California at Los Angeles Authenticated | dayna. 114Parental Role in First-Year Students' Emotional Well-Being Focusing on the first year of college as a critical period of transition (Reason, Terenzini, & Domingo, 2006), this study examines parents' roles in contributing to one dimension of student development-emotional well-being. Self-ratings of emotional health upon entering college have declined steadily over the past 25 years (Pryor, DeAngelo, Palucki Blake, Hurtado, & Tran, 2011) and continue to wane during the first year of college (Sax, Bryant, & Gilmartin, 2004). A gender gap persists, as women consistently report lower levels of emotional health than men (Pryor et al., 2011) and are more vulnerable to depression in adolescence and throughout adultho...

Helicopter Parenting and Emerging Adult Self-Efficacy: Implications for Mental and Physical Health

“…Emerging adult college students have been shown to communicate with their mother more often than with their fathers (Sax and Weintraub 2014;Shoup et al 2009), providing some evidence that mothers have more opportunity to parent and engage in helicopter parenting behaviors. However, fathers have been shown to have a unique impact on adolescent well-being, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, independent from the impact of the mother on the adolescent (Niemiec et al 2006;Videon 2005).…”

Parent and Family Engagement in Higher Education

“…The closeness that the millennial generation has with their parents and families is noteworthy in comparison to previous generations (Taub, ; Wartman & Savage, ). Over the last 10 years, students and parents have reported increased levels of communication and involvement with each other (Sax & Weintraub, ; Wartman & Savage, ; Wolf, Sax, & Harper, ). This increase in communication has been shown to contribute to a greater sense of well‐being for students (Sax & Weintraub, ).…”

“…Over the last 10 years, students and parents have reported increased levels of communication and involvement with each other (Sax & Weintraub, ; Wartman & Savage, ; Wolf, Sax, & Harper, ). This increase in communication has been shown to contribute to a greater sense of well‐being for students (Sax & Weintraub, ). Enhanced technology has been cited as one avenue that facilitates communication between students and parents (Sax & Wartman, ; Wartman & Savage, ).…”

“…Enhanced technology has been cited as one avenue that facilitates communication between students and parents (Sax & Wartman, ; Wartman & Savage, ). Other forms of parental involvement at the college level include offering financial support, and assisting with concerns such as mental health issues, student safety, and roommate issues (Carney‐Hall, ; Kiyama & Harper, ; Sax & Weintraub, ).…”

“…These pathways are inevitably shaped by multipart relationships between students, families, and higher education institutions that influence students’ experiences in college. It is no surprise that parents and families are increasingly involved within this multipart relationship (Carney‐Hall, ; Sax & Weintraub, ; Wartman & Savage, ). As previously reviewed, family engagement and its beneficial influence on students’ academic outcomes has been examined in some depth within the K–12 literature (Jun & Colyar, ; Lareau, ; Tierney, ; Zarate, ).…”