Helicopter Parenting and College Students’ Psychological Maladjustment: The Role of Self-control and Living Arrangement

Previous studies suggested that helicopter parenting was associated with college students’ psychological maladjustment. The mechanisms and circumstances explaining such an association, however, were less studied. In the present study, we aimed to extend the current research to investigate how and under what condition helicopter parenting was related to college students’ psychological maladjustment by examining a potential mediator—self-control, and a contextual moderator—living arrangement.

This study used a sample of 432 emerging adult college students from two large southern universities in the U.S. Participants reported their parents’ helicopter parenting, their own self-control, symptoms of depression and anxiety, life satisfaction, and demographics (e.g., living arrangement).

Findings from structural equation modeling suggested that (1) self-control mediated the association between perceived helicopter parenting and college students’ psychological maladjustment including symptoms of depression and anxiety and low life satisfaction; and (2) living arrangement moderated this association such that the association between perceived helicopter parenting and college students’ psychological maladjustment was stronger among college students who were living with their parents than among those living away from their parents.

The findings suggested that helicopter parenting could affect college students’ psychological maladjustment through lower levels of self-control. The effect of helicopter parenting on psychological maladjustment could be more salient among students living with their parents as compared to those living away from their parents.