Construct Diversity in Measures of Helicopter Parenting in Emerging Adulthood

TL;DR

This study examines how well different items measure helicopter parenting in young adults and finds that definitions and perceptions vary widely.

Contribution

The study introduces a provisional definition of helicopter parenting and provides item refinement suggestions for future research.

Findings

Correspondence ratings for items varied significantly among participants.

Direct experience with a behavior led to lower definitional correspondence ratings for 12 items.

Definitional correspondence was linked to perceived control and fear of failure motives.

Abstract

Numerous instruments assessing helicopter parenting exist, but items within and across scales are diverse and often describe behaviors that are incongruent with basic construct criteria. We recruited n = 1,222 emerging adults to rate how well 54 item stems conformed to a broad provided description of helicopter parenting (i.e., definitional correspondence), and answer follow-up questions related to item frequency, personal experience with the behavior, and perceived parent motivations. Correspondence ratings varied widely. For 12 items, emerging adults who directly experienced a behavior had lower definitional correspondence ratings compared to those with no direct experience. Close to half of items were seen as helicopter parenting only if the behaviors were frequently-occurring. Definitional correspondence was highly correlated with perceived control and fear of failure motives, and negatively correlated with perceived support motives. We offer a provisional definition of helicopter parenting and offer suggestions for item selection and refinement in ongoing construct validation research.

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