Helicopter Parenting of College Students in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study compared helicopter parenting behaviors in the spring of 2020, when classes transferred online due to the COVID-19 pandemic and participants were living at home with their parent(s), to the winter of 2021, when participants were living either on campus or off campus with friends. Helicopter parenting is a style utilized by parents of emerging adult children in which they exert control, provide support, and limit autonomy (Padilla-Walker and Nelson, 2012). In contrast, autonomy supportive parenting allows children to take an active role in solving their own problems (Grolnick et al. 1991).The relationships among helicopter parenting, autonomy supportive parenting, gender, age, and self-perceived adult status were explored. Self-perceived adult status refers to whether emerging adults view themselves as having reached adulthood (Arnett, 2001). Data were collected via an online questionnaire which consisted of demographic information, a helicopter parenting scale, an autonomy supportive parenting scale, and a measure of self-perceived adult status. Participants completed two measures of helicopter parenting, one based on their parents’ behavior during the spring of 2020 and one based on the winter of 2021. The sample consisted of 51 participants (39 female), aged 18 to 24. As hypothesized, helicopter parenting was significantly higher in 2020 than in 2021. There were no significant differences in the helicopter parenting of males and females. Females reported significantly higher autonomy supportive parenting than males did in 2020. Helicopter parenting and self-perceived adult status were not significantly correlated. A significant relationship between 2020 autonomy supportive parenting and self-perceived adult status was found, with those who viewed themselves as adults receiving more autonomy support than those who did not. Younger participants experienced a significantly greater decrease in helicopter parenting, from 2020 to 2021, and a significantly greater increase in autonomy supportive parenting over that time. Additionally, males experienced a significantly greater increase in autonomy supportive parenting from 2020 to 2021 compared to females. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.