Helicopter Parenting

Word Count: 1593

Executive Summary

Parental involvement is seen to be beneficial for child outcomes however the nature of intense parenting is seen as aberrant and detrimental to these outcomes. Helicopter parenting is a form of over parenting where a child is seen to be wrapped in cotton wool, have their life mapped out for them, and be unable to make mistakes to learn from. The negative outcomes relating to helicopter parenting is seen to violate the child’s basic psychological needs for autonomy and competence, and furthermore hinder future development academically and socially (Schiffrin, Godfrey, Liss & Erchull, 2014; Segrin, Givertz, Swaitkowski & Montgomery, 2013a).

This Policy Brief presents current research findings on the impact of Helicopter Parenting on the experiences and development of children and young adults. The main focus of the brief is on the effects of over-parenting.

Why is this issue important?

Over the past decade, the phenomenon known as helicopter parenting has received considerable attention, describing  helicopter parents as ‘hovering’ over the child, and having an excessive amount of involvement and concern in their life. Particular attention is paid to anticipating and further prohibiting the child from making any mistakes whilst simultaneously micromanaging the child’s life. Whilst parental involvement in a child’s life is seen to be associated with better social and emotional developmental outcomes, a helicopter parent can be viewed as a narcissistic identification to their child (Schiffrin et al., 2014; Munich & Munich, 2009). Helicopter parenting became apparent in the 1960’s, as baby boomer parents who were well educated and wealthy, wanted to give their children the best of everything and possessed ample disposable funds to accommodate this behaviour (Ingen, D. J., Freiheit, S. R., Steinfeldt, J. A, Moore, L. L., Wimer, D. J., Knutt, A.D, Scapinello, S. & Roberts, A., 2015).Furthermore, this behaviour led to a multitude of children who were being raised by parents who monitored and coached their every move.

Many parents begin with the best intentions to nurture their children however this intensive and often intrusive style of parenting can lead to negative developmental outcomes for the child. These can include; reduced maturation and decreased self confidence, higher levels of child anxiety and depression, higher levels of narcissism, impaired autonomy coupled with underdeveloped coping skills, and decreased social competence (Schiffrin et al., 2014; Segrin et al., 2013a; Segrin, Woszidlo, Givertz & Montgomery, 2013b; Munich & Munich, 2009).This directed parental regard can restrict the experiences of children as the outcomes undermine self efficacy and the ability for one to survive on their own (Schiffrin, Liss, Miles-McLean, Geary, Erchull & Tasher, 2013; Segrin et al., 2013a). Coupled with the inability to experience failure, these missed opportunities make children less able to solve their own problems, be autonomous, develop depth in relationships, and cope independently (Schiffrin et al., 2014).

What does the research tell us?

Much of the research about helicopter parenting reveals that negative developmental outcomes are associated with intrusive parenting styles. The issue of helicopter parenting has a sense of urgency as according to Marano (2009), it is anticipated that this modern sense of childrearing is raising a nation of wimps, and concern for how these generations will succeed in future economies.  There is also growing evidence of the prevalence in media presentations and magazines with Gibbs (2009) portraying a child wrapped in bubble wrap in a Time Magazine article, indicating the fragility of children and the need for over protection. Moreover, the Herald Sun newspaper has published concern over this topic describing that more two thirds of school teachers and psychologists have seen this behaviour carried out (Marriner, 2013).

Decades of research support the nourishing relationship between a parent and child   however over involvement can produce a range of undesirable psychological and academic outcomes that can be detrimental to child development (Ingen et al., 2013; Schiffrin et al., 2013; Shoup, Gonya & Kuh, 2009; see Table 1).

Table 1

Negative outcomes of helicopter parenting on psychological and academic performance

Helicopter parenting is related to these outcomes as the associated effects violate the basic human needs theorising to the Self Determination Theory that acts on development of autonomy, competence and relatedness (Deci & Ryan, 2012).  Maladaptive behaviours displayed by the parent including performing tasks for the child, may lead to a diminished sense of competence combined with shame and guilt in the child. This can happen when a child fails at mastering these tasks, or is unable to do them at all. The lack of academic and personal coping skills combined with frustration may foster resentment towards the parent and subsequently produce a psychological decrease in life satisfaction, self esteem and an increase in anxiety (Shiffrin et al., 2013; Segrin et al., 2013b). Parents who fail to modulate their behaviour in context with the development of the child will find that they become over involved, reject the notion of failure in their child and can damage the parent-child relationship (Schiffrin et al., 2014; Segrin et al., 2013b).

When a parent makes all the decision on behalf of the child and provides a sense of scaffolding, this can undermine the autonomy and self direction for that child as their ability to meet and experience the developmental milestones needed for optimum development is hindered (Segrin, Woszidlo, Givertz, Bauer & Murphy, 2012). This may affect the child’s relatedness and ability to form peer attachments which can decrease their social competence and confidence (Shiffrin et al., 2014; LeMoyne & Buchanan, 2011). Internalising these issues may then lead to anxiety and depression (Ingen et al., 2013).