“If I Pay, I Have a Say!”

Abstract

Guided by developmental and sociological frameworks, the present study investigated two interrelated research questions, namely, (a) is helicopter parenting (HP) a unidimensional or multidimensional construct and (b) is parental payment of college education associated with freshmen’s reports of HP? Participants (58% female) included 190 first-semester freshmen (70% Caucasian) who completed a survey with items on parenting (proportion of parental payment for college education, HP behaviors). Results indicated HP was a singular form of overinvolvement and that most freshmen reported low levels of HP. As hypothesized, parental payment of college education was positively associated with HP, and this association was strongest among freshmen without a scholarship. Challenges to the popularized perception that most parents of college students are overinvolved, and implications regarding educational expenses linking parents and emerging adults in the college context are discussed.

Longitudinal Predictors of Helicopter Parenting in Emerging Adulthood

“…It should be noted, however, that recent work has identified various implementations of helicopter parenting (Luebbe et al, 2018;Padilla-Walker et al, 2019), with more controlling-and autonomy-limiting forms being associated with detrimental child outcomes, while types more indicative of warmth, involvement, or support could be positive (Fingerman & Yahirun, 2016;Nelson et al, 2015), including higher closeness with parents (Kelly et al, 2017; and lower tuition-related debt (Lowe et al, 2015). Positive and null findings are common among parent-reported helicopter parenting (Segrin et al, 2013), possibly because the parent does not view "helping" a child as potentially problematic (i.e., limiting of autonomy) or simply feels that the benefits of their involvement outweigh the consequences of the lack of autonomy.…”

Parental involvement in the lives of intercollegiate athletes

“…Another aspect that has contributed to emerging adulthood is an increase in the number of people who now pursue higher education, which is a place where these individuals have the freedom to perform the exploration just discussed (Arnett, 2004). Multiple researchers have studied this time frame in regard to parental involvement because of the uniqueness of this developmental period (Dorsch et al, 2016a(Dorsch et al, , 2016bHill, Burrow, & Sumner, 2016;Lowe, Dotterer, & Francisco, 2015;PadillaWalker, Nelson & Knapp, 2014;Segrin, Woszidlo, Givertz, & Montgomery, 2013). However, few have examined parental involvement during this developmental period among intercollegiate studentathletes (Dorsch et al, 2016a).…”

“…While research has been increasing on this topic, the line between a healthily involved parent and an over-involved parent has not been clear in the literature. This can be seen in the multiple terms that are used to discuss the concept of parents being excessively involved in their child's lives such as overinvolvement (Givertz & Segrin, 2014), overparenting (Bradley-Geist & OlsonBuchanan, 2013;Segrin et al, 2012), overprotection (Brussoni & Olsen, 2012), high levels of involvement (Cullaty, 2011), helicopter parenting (Lowe et al, 2015;Padilla-Walker & Nelson, 2012;Schiffrin et al, 2014), bulldozer parenting (Taylor, 2006) and intense parental support (Fingerman et al, 2012). This study utilizes the term overinvolvement.…”

“…Researchers have suggested that parents may become overinvolved if they are worried about their emerging adult child's life path, meaning they may attempt to be more of a safety net if they think their child needs that (Segrin et al, 2013;Swartz, Kim, Uno, Mortimer, & O'Brien, 2011). Lowe et al (2015) found that the more parents paid for their college student's education, the more likely they were to be over-involved, and that this was especially true if the student did not have a scholarship. Bradley-Geist and OlsonBuchanan (2014) discovered parents were more likely to be over-involved if their college student child lived at home and/or if they had fewer siblings.…”

“…However, most researchers have suggested that parents who are overinvolved typically want the best for their child (Brussoni & Olsen, 2012;Givertz & Segrin, 2014;Padilla-Walker & Nelson, 2012;Segrin et al, 2012). Also, it has been discovered that the majority of parents are not over-involved, but it is important to understand the impact of those who are (Lowe et al, 2015).…”