Overprotective parents, or “helicopter parents” as they are sometimes called, hover over their children and, in doing so, may be leaving an undesirable impact on their child's personality. The results of a study of college freshman were presented May 29th, 2010 at the Association of Psychological Science Convention in Boston.

The study attempted to define and measure “helicopter parenting," while looking to see what kind of lasting impact this style of parenting had on the college freshman. College freshman were chosen for the study because this year marks a critical changing point in the relationship between the child and parent — a stage of the child's life where the parents no longer had control over them or the ability to keep track of their every move like they had in the past.

The term “helicopter parenting” was first used by college admissions personnel when a clear change in parenting habits of prospective college students became obvious. Previously, college students would handle most of their college admissions process on their own, but recently, more parents have started to get involved in the process by calling the admissions office on behalf of their children.

The survey consisted of 300 first year college students asked to relate to statements like:

• “My parents have contacted a school official on my behalf to solve problems for me"
• "On my college move-in day, my parents stayed the night in town to make sure I was adjusted"
• "If two days go by without contact my parents would contact me"

Of the 300 students, about 30 of them had “helicopter parents." There was a higher instance of girls with overprotective parents than boys — with 13% of females compared to just 5% of males. The study also revealed that it was mostly mothers being overprotective.

Students who were classified as having “helicopter parents” were typically less accepting of new ideas. They had higher levels of anxiety, and were more self-conscious than students whose parents were not considered overprotective.

The student results show a relationship between overprotective parents and neurotic children, but not all children of “helicopter parents” turn out this way. The preliminary findings suggest that overprotective parenting may result in children who are not effectively able to handle their own affairs as they enter adulthood, and that parents may want to take a closer look at their parenting style if they feel they may be “hovering” too much. The study is likely to encourage further research on larger populations of children to gain more conclusive findings.