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ENQUIRE PROJECT DETAILS BY GENERAL PUBLIC |
| Project Details |
| Funding Scheme : | General Research Fund | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Number : | 14620219 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Title(English) : | Competitive Advantages in a Threatening World: Investigating Predictors of Helicopter Parenting among First-Year University Students in Hong Kong | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Title(Chinese) : | 在危機四伏世界中的競爭優勢：以香港的大學一年級生為對象來調查直升機管教模式的預測因素的研究 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Principal Investigator(English) : | Prof Hawk, Skyler | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Principal Investigator(Chinese) : | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Department : | Dept of Educational Psychology | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Institution : | The Chinese University of Hong Kong | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| E-mail Address : | s.t.hawk@cuhk.edu.hk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tel : | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Co - Investigator(s) : |
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| Panel : | Humanities, Social Sciences | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subject Area : | Psychology and Linguistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exercise Year : | 2019 / 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fund Approved : | 832,500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Status : | Completed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Completion Date : | 30-6-2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Objectives : |
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| Abstract as per original application (English/Chinese): |
In today’s uncertain and competitive environment, parents might struggle with how to simultaneously provide support and promote self-sufficiency as their children adjust to university. “Helicopter parenting” represents an imbalance in this dynamic. Overprotective and overinvolved, helicopter parents shield children from any possible failure and provide assistance at developmentally inappropriate levels. Research both in Hong Kong and Western countries has consistently shown that helicopter parenting, although well-intentioned, is associated with students’ poorer social, emotional, and academic adjustment. Despite extensive media attention and public concern over “effects” of helicopter parenting upon Hong Kong youth, little is known about why parents engage in such behavior. In particular, helicopter parenting might be a response to evidence of youth’s adjustment difficulties or requests for help. A lack of longitudinal research makes it unclear whether previously identified associations between helicopter parenting and youth’s difficulties represent effects of parenting behavior upon youth adjustment, whether youth’s difficulties might be evoking these parental behaviors, or whether both processes might simultaneously occur. Additionally, no studies have examined how helicopter parenting might change as youth adjust to university life. Longitudinal studies focused on the environmental and psychological predictors of helicopter parenting are urgently needed, in order to promote the well-being of Hong Kong families through timely and culturally-sensitive interventions.
This project is the first to investigate predictors of helicopter parenting in Hong Kong during students’ first collegiate year. We propose a reciprocal influence model, in which youth’s psychosocial and academic difficulties predict parents’ greater feelings of uncertainty and threatened self-worth. These threats, when combined with perceptions of greater social competition, predict higher levels of helicopter parenting. Greater helicopter parenting, in turn, predicts greater subsequent youth adjustment difficulties. This model will be investigated through two types of data collected from students and mothers over one year. First, extensive surveys at the beginning and end of each term will permit in-depth examination of distal predictors and processes (e.g., general youth competencies and habits, parents’ global attitudes). Second, short-term assessments will gather brief, frequent reports that allow for investigation of proximal processes (e.g., particular stressors that instigate specific helicopter behaviors), as well as how fluctuations in helicopter parenting might coincide with fluctuations in children’s academic and psychosocial well-being. Understanding how associations between helicopter parenting and youth adjustment unfold within particular families over the first year of university can provide administrators, practitioners, and families with important advice for promoting optimal adjustment and balanced family relationships.
在現今不明確和競爭激烈的環境中，當孩子進入大學時，父母可能會面對怎樣給予孩子支持同時仍能促進他們的自主能力的挑戰 ，而『直升機管教模式』就能顯出這失平衡的動態。直升機父母為了避免讓孩子去面對任何失敗，他們會不適當地過度保護並干預孩子的日常生活和發展。在香港和西方國家的研究都一直表明，直升機管教模式雖然用心良苦，但與學生的社會、情感和學業適應較差有關。儘管直升機管教模式對香港青少年的影響受到大量傳媒報導和公眾關注，但對這管教模式的行為成因的知識卻甚少，尤其是直升機管教模式的行為有可能正是應付青少年缺乏解難或尋求協助的能力的反應。由於缺乏縱向研究，目前尚不能清晰地確認直升機管教模式與青少年缺乏解難能力兩者之間的關係。究竟這是因為父母的管教模式令青少年缺乏解難能力，還是青少年缺乏解難能力從而引起父母的直升機管教模式，或是因為這兩者同時發生。此外，目前并沒有研究調查父母的直升機管教模式會否隨著青少年如何適應大學生活而改變。因此，為了促進香港家庭的福祉，以適時及文化敏感度著手，展開環境和心理預測因素對直升機管教模式進行縱向研究有著迫切的需要。 本計劃是香港首個調查大學一年級生關於「直升機管教模式」的預測因素研究。我們假設在相互影響的模型下，當青少年在社會心理和學術上遇到的困難時，可以預示父母的不確定感和他們感到自我價值受到威脅。當自我價值威脅和社會競爭同時出現時，父母的直升機管教模式會更明顯。加強了直升機管教模式，卻令青少年的適應困難問題更嚴重。這個模型將會用一年多的時間收集學生和母親的行為數據進行研究。首先，每個學期的開始和結束時都會進行廣泛的調查，深入審查遠端預測因素和過程（例如，青少年的一般能力、習慣和父母的整體態度）。其次，會進行短期評估，即頻繁地收集簡短報告來分析最近端過程（例如，引發直升機管教行為的特定壓力源），以及直升機管教模式的強弱變動會怎樣直接影響孩子的學術表現和心理社會健康的起伏。以大學一年級生為研究對象，了解直升機管教模式與青少年適應有何關聯，能讓大學管理層、輔導人員和家庭從中獲得有用的建議，從而令青少年做到最佳的調適，並促進平衡的家庭關係。 |
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| Realisation of objectives: | Objective 1: We employed four different measures related to helicopter parenting in an effort to comprehensively capture the state of this phenomenon in Hong Kong families: 1) perceived parental over-functioning, reported at the beginning and end of each academic term by both mothers and students (4 assessments); 2) concrete behaviors related to helicopter parenting in which the mother generally engages, reported at the beginning and end of each academic term by mothers and students (4 assessments) ; 3) concrete helicopter parenting behaviors in which the mother engaged over the previous week, reported by mothers and students every two weeks over the academic year (16 assessments) 4) privacy-invasion and personal interference perceptions, reported by students every two weeks over the academic year (16 assessments). This approach has allowed us to gain substantial knowledge about Hong Kong first-year university students’ perceptions of helicopter parenting. Nevertheless, it should be acknowledged that the data were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic, which fundamentally altered both family interactions over the course of the project, and prevented students from relocating to campus. Whereas we had aimed to provide an account of students’ transitions to University (including leaving home) over the first full academic year, over 95% of participants remained living with parents over the full period of data collection. Thus, future research should examine whether the levels of helicopter parenting observed here are abnormally higher (or lower) as compared to either pre- or post-pandemic levels. Objective 2: We conducted three longitudinal studies examining reciprocal relations between mother- and youth-reported helicopter parenting and youth/family adjustment (e.g., youth’s commitment to educational goals, perceived family conflict and support). Analytical approaches included Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Modeling (RI-CLPM; Paper 1) and Dynamic Structural Equation Modeling (DESM; Paper 4) to examine bi-directional lagged associations over time, as well as Multilevel Response Surface Analysis (M-RSA; Paper 2) to examine how youth-mother agreements and discrepancies in reports of helicopter parenting predicted family outcomes over time. Two of these studies (Papers 1 and 2) have already been published in high-impact international journals, and the other is currently in review. All three studies have been accepted and/or presented at international conferences. Objective 3: One published longitudinal study examined whether mothers’ perceptions of environmental threat (societal unpredictably and competition) would intensify over-time associations from youth adjustment to later helicopter parenting (Paper 1). However, it should be acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic likely resulted in both elevated levels and reduced variance in perceived threat. As such, though we believe we have accomplished this goal, further post-pandemic investigation should be conducted. An additional in-review study (Paper 4) utilized DSEM to examine whether reciprocal, time-lagged associations existed between youth perceptions of family climate and helicopter parenting, both in general and in terms of specific dimensions of helicopter behavior. Both studies have been presented at international conferences. Thus, we have examined both global and family-specific environmental predictors that might predict these parenting practices. Objective 4: We conducted several examinations of over-time variance (both between and within participants) in helicopter parenting across the four different measures described in Objective 1. In addition to the three studies described in Objective 2 (Papers 1, 2 and 4), another in-review study utilized DSEM to examine unidirectional associations from maternal helicopter parenting to youth affective adjustment over time, and whether and perceived satisfaction of psychological needs for competence, relatedness, and autonomy mediated these associations (Paper 3). Another published study utilized Latent Class Growth Analysis and multivariate analyses to examine the extent to which mother’s intrusive behaviors predict youth’s emotion regulation difficulties (Paper 5). Thus, five studies in total have examined and provided information regarding this objective. All have been presented at international conferences. Objective 5: The project conducted extensive assessments, mainly focused on participant/dyad general characteristics and personality traits that would be expected to vary between individuals, at the beginning and end of each academic term (4 assessments in total). We also conducted shorter assessments focused on behaviors/emotions with a high potential for within-person variability at bi-weekly intervals (16 assessments in total). This approach has yielded several studies addressing how both general (distal) and time-specific (proximal) processes affect associations between helicopter parenting and youth outcomes. We have, for example, examined whether mothers’ general perceptions of environmental threat over the full academic year moderated their helicopter parenting responses to signs of youth’s academic difficulties (Papers 1). Moreover, we have compared youth reports of positive and negative affect that concurrently occur with helicopter parenting (shorter-term) to reports of affect two weeks later (longer-term; Paper 3). We have also examined the extent to which adolescents’ general tendencies to incorporate mothers into their self-concepts (distal) moderated their immediate and longer-term perceptions of relationship support and conflict following proximal changes in mothers’ helicopter parenting (Paper 4). Finally, two different studies utilized multilevel approaches examining reports across the full academic year to examine how mother and youth reports of mothers’ behaviors predict adjustment outcomes such as perceived support and conflict (Paper 2) and youth emotion regulation difficulties (Paper 5); These latter two studies utilized all of the data collected over a relatively extensive period to establish the robustness of effects occurring at relatively short, two-week interval, as more accurate averaged estimates of these effects. The studies mentioned herein have all been presented at international conferences and have been submitted or accepted for publication in international journals. Objective 6: Throughout this project, we have considered culturally-relevant factors in both our formal analyses and interpretation of results, including 1) the strong emphasis on academic achievement in Hong Kong families (Papers 1, 2, and 3); 2) mothers’ perceptions of Hong Kong as a highly competitive social environment (Paper 1); 3) the heightened levels of environmental uncertainty and unpredictability brought about by events such as the 2019 social unrest and the Covid-19 pandemic (Papers 1 and 6); 4) Chinese youths’ greater tendencies to incorporate relationships with parents into their own self-concepts (Paper 4) and stronger inclinations to share personal information with mothers (Paper 7), compared to their Western counterparts; and 5) assumptions about adolescents’ greater acceptance of maternal over-involvement and autonomy-restrictive parenting behaviors in Chinese culture (Papers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5). Especially regarding this last issue, several of our studies (Papers 1, 2, 3, and 4) have focused on examining the Cultural Normativeness Hypothesis (Deater-Deckard & Dodge, 1997; Lansford et al., 2018), which suggests that parenting practices become more adaptive when they align with cultural values and norms. All seven of the published/in-review studies produced from this project have featured detailed sections focused on Implications and suggestions for Practice that have incorporated these findings and cultural considerations to guide educators and practitioners in focusing on the most relevant variables and processes when addressing helicopter parenting in Hong Kong families. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Summary of objectives addressed: |
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| Research Outcome | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Major findings and research outcome: | Mothers consistently reported more helicopter parenting (HP) than youth, and although HP generally declined over the academic year, scores were largely equivalent to or higher than in most studies of North American students. HP is a relatively normative practice in Hong Kong, but youth might not always be aware of mothers’ actions. Discrepant reports of HP predicted increased youth-mother conflict, but agreement that HP is high predicted both increased conflict and perceived support (Paper 2). This “support” might be a double-edged sword, a consistent theme that emerged throughout this project. HP can be a response to youth (mal)adjustment. Mothers who view the environment as highly competitive and unpredictable engage in greater HP following youth difficulties in making academic commitments (Paper 1). Youth perceptions of maternal support are bi-directionally associated with mothers’ excessive advice-giving and (over-)management of youth's emotions, but other aspects of HP such as exerting academic pressure and proactive problem-solving unidirectionally predict increased conflicts (Paper 4). Youth’s positive responses to HP might be short-lived; they exhibit immediately positive emotions, but affective responses become more negative in the following weeks due to thwarted needs for autonomy and mature relationships (Paper 3). Perceptions of mothers interfering also predict greater difficulties in managing negative emotions over time (Paper 5). Intrusion perceptions predict decreased disclosure and increased secrecy from parents, and this project finds that such communication changes promote reduced self-efficacy and self-esteem (Paper 7). This project was (unintentionally) conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, a source of uncertainty and disruption. Youth-reported maternal support was higher in dyads that shared their negative COVID-related experiences; those who did not regularly communicate exhibited no such benefits (Paper 6). This project examined the proposition that the normativity of intensive parenting in Chinese culture protects youth against the negative effects of over-involvement. HP responses to youth challenges such as academic difficulties do not seem to resolve those issues (Paper 1). While Hong Kong youth might interpret mothers’ HP as supportive (Papers 2 and 4) and experience short-term positive responses to these behaviors (Papers 3 and 4), over-involvement also predicts increased conflict (Papers 2 and 4), thwarted psychological needs and negative emotions (Paper 3), and emotional instability (Paper 5) in the longer-term. Conflict responses to HP were also higher among youth reporting the closest relationships with mothers (Paper 4), suggesting that family interdependence does not promote acceptance of parental over-involvement. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Potential for further development of the research and the proposed course of action: |
A key theme of our findings is that HP has both positive and negative effects for Chinese youth, but the timing of these effects differ. Because Western studies of HP have not typically focused on potential positive outcomes, nor used designs that can address the direction of effects, cross-cultural longitudinal studies are a crucial next step. Another extension is to investigate how within-family parenting processes unfold within different families, as opposed to “the average family.” For instance, Paper 3 showed that HP was concurrently associated with both more positive and negative affect, on average. This does not necessarily mean that these patterns are uniformly consistent across every family. Substantial heterogeneity can exist in within-family processes; for example, specific groups of adolescents might show increased well-being following more HP, while others might show decreased or unchanged well-being. To understand family-specific effects of HP, studies could examine its associations with youth well-being within individual families, as well as how such associations differ across individual families. This would require intensive data collection procedures, such as daily diary and ecological momentary assessment methods, but would be extremely valuable for identifying the youth most at risk of negative outcomes related to parental over-involvement. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Layman's Summary of Completion Report: | Helicopter parenting (HP) refers to excessive and developmentally inappropriate involvement in late-adolescent and emerging-adult children’s lives. This project investigated predictors and effects of HP during Hong Kong students’ first collegiate year. Results showed that HP was a relatively normative practice in Hong Kong, but youth might not always be aware of its occurrence. Youth may interpret HP as supportive, but it also predicted greater family conflict – especially when youth and mothers disagreed on how much it occurred. While youth experienced relatively positive immediate emotional responses to HP, this over-involvement predicted increased conflict, thwarted psychological needs and negative emotions, and emotional instability in the longer-term. Specific HP behaviors, particularly exerting heavy academic pressure and attempting to proactively solve problems before youth actually experienced challenges, held notably stronger associations with negative outcomes. Interestingly, some types of negative responses to HP were higher among youth reporting the closest relationships with mothers, suggesting that parents should not assume that the interdependent nature of family relationships will promote youth’s acceptance of parental over-involvement. HP might be a “double-edged” form of support that alleviates immediate anxieties in the short-term but ultimately has negative long-term consequences. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Research Output | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Peer-reviewed journal publication(s) arising directly from this research project : (* denotes the corresponding author) |
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| Recognized international conference(s) in which paper(s) related to this research project was/were delivered : |
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| Other impact (e.g. award of patents or prizes, collaboration with other research institutions, technology transfer, etc.): |
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| SCREEN ID: SCRRM00542 |