When Too Much Help is of No Help: Mothers’ and Fathers’ Perceived Overprotective Behavior and (Mal)Adaptive Functioning in Adolescents

Abstract

Although parental overprotection is theorized to have lasting negative effects throughout a child’s life, there is limited empirical evidence available on its long-term significance on adolescent well-being. This preregistered, three-wave longitudinal study investigated the association of maternal and paternal perceived overprotection in early adolescence with the development of (mal)adaptive psychological, academic, and social functioning throughout adolescence. Data (N = 2229; 50.7% girls) from the longitudinal TRacking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) in the Netherlands were used (Mage T1 = 11.11, T2 = 13.57, T3 = 16.28). At T1, adolescents reported on their mothers’ and fathers’ overprotection. From T1 to T3 adolescents and teachers reported about internalizing problems, academic achievement, prosocial, and antisocial behavior. The results showed concurrent associations between higher levels of perceived overprotection and higher levels of internalizing problems, antisocial behaviors, and (after controlling for parental warmth and rejection) lower levels of academic achievement. Perceived overprotection was positively associated with decreased internalizing problems over time. This longitudinal association disappeared after controlling for baseline levels of internalizing problems, suggesting that this result was less robust than expected. Mothers and fathers did not differ in their associations between perceived overprotection and (mal)adaptive functioning. The findings showed that perceived overprotection is mainly concurrently associated with (mal)adaptive adolescent functioning. Future research recommendations are discussed in terms of stability and bidirectional relations.

Within‐family associations of parent–adolescent relationship quality and adolescent affective well‐being

“…Associations were present for both negative affect and positive affect. Consistent with the two Continua model (Keyes, 2005) and previous studies (Arslan, Lucassen, de Haan et al, 2023; Arslan, Lucassen, Keijsers, et al, 2023; Westerhof & Keyes, 2010), our findings emphasize the importance of integrating both maladaptive and adaptive states of well‐being, not only in general but also in relation to affective well‐being, to better capture the picture of certain dynamic processes between parents and adolescents.…”

Preschool Aggression and Victimization: A Short-Term Longitudinal Analysis of the Immediate Social Environment

“… 94 Our findings could be related to overprotective parenting, which may limit a child’s exposure to challenges, potentially impacting their ability to navigate social activities or conflicts independently. 95 , 96 While children require support, certain parents attempt to shield them from all adverse experiences, hindering their acquisition of skills to cope with aggressor and rendering them more susceptible to victimization. 97 Future research could explore the specific mechanisms underlying these unexpected associations, including the role of cultural factors and societal expectations on parenting behaviours.…”

Developmental trajectory of depressive symptoms among left‐behind adolescents: The effects of parent‐adolescent separation and parent‐adolescent cohesion

“…Little's test of missing completely at random (MCAR; Little, 1988) showed an acceptable normed χ²/df of 1.27 (i.e., < 3; Bollen, 1989), indicating that the pattern of missing data was not essentially different from a random pattern (Arslan et al, 2023). Thus, to ensure the full utilization of all available data, the missing data were estimated by the full information maximum likelihood (FIML) estimation in Mplus.…”