Pros And Cons Of Helicopter Parenting

A study conducted at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga by sociology professors Terri LeMoyne and Tom Buchanan discusses the question: does hovering matter? Hovering refers to the parenting practice of being overinvolved in your child’s life and not letting them gain independence, which is often used with the overall term helicopter parenting. The study aimed to find whether or not hovering led to a lesser overall sense of well-being in children who had left home for college. LeMoyne and Buchanan used surveys to conduct their research, in which a sample of students from a required course at a southern university would rate questions related to parental over-involvement, (LeMoyne & Buchanan, 2011). From the surveys, they concluded that

Some strengths include that the study is conducted by trustworthy sources, because both LeMoyne and Buchanan were professors in the sociology department at the time. They also specifically surveyed a class that was a required course for all students at the university to get a sample of students with a variety of backgrounds. However, there are several limitations that were noted in the study. Although the sample may have been representative of the university’s population, it is by no means representative of the entire population. Studying only 317 students at a southern university is not the best sample, especially when it comes to researching the family upbringing of the students, because there are significant differences between parenting in different geographic locations. Another very important limitation to note is that the surveys were self-reported from the students, and only measured perceived helicopter parenting and well-being. This leaves room for lots of error in the results, because each student filling out the survey has their own levels of perception of helicopter parenting. One child may not have perceived their helicopter parent as a helicopter parent, or one child may have perceived their non-helicopter parent as a helicopter parent, which skews the data. This is also true for

The study shows that over-parenting can lead to multiple negative effects on the child once they are living on their own. These effects include a less overall sense of well-being, increased likelihood of anxiety and depression, and increased likelihood to use prescription drugs for uses other than the intended use (LeMoyne & Buchanan, 2011). All of these effects present challenges in the lives of these individuals, so it would be best to avoid these outcomes. Therefore, we can use the information found in LeMoyne & Buchanan’s study, as well as other similar studies, to help us determine the parenting practices with the most desired and least desired outcomes. The more we can educate parents on what to do and what not to do in childrearing, the better the lives of children will