Too Much of a Good Thing? Associations among Parenting Profiles and Helicopter Parenting

Abstract

Helicopter parenting is defined by popular culture as a set of parenting practices characterized by overinvolvement. However, empirical research has not adequately defined the construct, and it is unclear how helicopter parenting may relate to existing parenting behaviors and parenting styles. Participants included 341 caregivers from across the United States who completed a survey about their parenting beliefs and behaviors. Latent class analysis was used to determine combinations of parenting behaviors, and the identified classes of parents were then used to conduct one-way ANOVAs to examine differences in helicopter parenting between the different classes. Results suggest that parents who fit the authoritative parenting profile endorse greater helicopter parenting. Further research needs to be conducted to determine the “tipping point” for when positive parenting practices, which are often associated with positive outcomes, begin to produce negative outcomes.