Helicopter parents: an examination of the correlates of over-parenting of college students

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine antecedents and consequences of parental involvement and over-parenting as it relates to college students’ college experiences and workplace expectations. Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was completed by 482 undergraduate college students; the survey contained questions about parenting behaviors, personality and demographic items, and workplace scenarios to which participants responded. Findings – Statistical analyses revealed that over-parenting was more common when college students lived at home and had fewer siblings. Additionally, over-parenting (but not parental involvement) was associated with lower student self-efficacy as well as maladaptive responses to workplace scenarios. Research limitations/implications – Data are correlational and were collected from students only. Future longitudinal research that includes the parent and employer perspective is needed. Originality/value – This is one of the first studies to empirically examine the antecedents and outcomes associated with over-parenting. Over-parenting is assessed in relation to college and workplace outcomes.