# 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.

## Key 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.