Evaluating the Structure and Correlates of Helicopter Parenting in Mainland China

Helicopter Parenting (HP) refers to parenting behaviors such as overinvolvement and developmentally inappropriate support during late adolescence and emerging adulthood. To date, this construct has mainly been examined in Western cultures. This research developed and validated a multi-dimensional HP measure for mothers and late-adolescent children in Mainland China. Study 1 explored initial factor structure of HP with an online sample of Mainland Chinese mothers (N = 433; Mage = 43.63 years). Study 2 confirmed this structure with a new online sample of mothers (N = 461; Mage = 44.39 years), and assessed construct invariance between mothers of high school and college students. Study 3 confirmed this HP structure with mother-adolescent dyads (N = 248; Mothers: Mage = 44.29 years; Adolescents: Mage = 17.37 years) and assessed construct invariance and construct validity between dyad members. Across the three studies, results suggested a 16-item measure with four factors (advice/affect management, anticipatory problem solving, information-seeking, and emphasis on academic performance), which also loaded on a higher-order HP factor. The measure had good internal consistencies (αs ≥ 0.844). Fits for mother-reported high school and college student measurement invariance model, and mother-adolescent invariance model were acceptable when constraining all factor loadings. Mother and adolescent HP reports were modestly positively correlated. Within-respondent correlations in Studies 2 and 3 showed that the total HP scores were positively correlated with behavioral control and emotional support. However, mother-reported HP was negatively correlated with adolescent-reported emotional support, suggesting discrepant views about which parenting behaviors are helpful vs. overbearing. Mother- and adolescent-reported HP scores were not related to adolescent-reported psychological control or self-efficacy. This study offers a concise, multidimensional Chinese HP measure which is useful to examine Chinese mother-adolescent reporter discrepancies, as well as associations between Chinese HP and youth’s psychological functioning.