Parenting Practices, Parent–Child Relationship, and Perceived Academic Control in College Students

Parental control and college students' depressive symptoms: A latent class analysis

We examined how maternal and paternal parental control (helicopter parenting, behavioral control, and psychological control) among college students are related to their depressive symptoms. We collected data from college students who attended a private university in Upstate New York (n = 455) and analyzed it using three-step latent class analysis. Latent class analysis identified four parental control latent classes: weak parental control, strong psychological control, strong helicopter parenting, and strong parental control. College students in the weak parental control class reported lower depressive symptoms than those in strong psychological control and strong parental control classes. In addition, college students in the strong helicopter parenting class reported lower depressive symptoms than those in strong psychological control and strong parental control classes. College students' depressive symptoms were not significantly different between weak parental control and strong helicopter parenting classes. Future researchers are encouraged to continue to acknowledge the characteristics of different forms of parental control and their influence on college students' quality of life in the transition to adulthood, considering the unique approaches of both parents.

A multidimensional construct of helicopter parenting and college students' game and social media addictive behaviors: A cross-cultural study in South Korea and China

Introduction

We explored latent classes of helicopter parenting among Korean and Chinese college students. In addition, we examined whether these latent classes of helicopter parenting are related to Korean and Chinese students' game and social media addictive behaviors.

Methods

A three-step latent class analysis was conducted using 452 students from six universities in South Korea and 372 students from four universities in China.

Results and discussion

We identified four distinct helicopter parenting latent classes among the parents of Korean and Chinese students: weak, strong, academic management, and academic and schedule management. We also found that Korean students in the strong class reported significantly higher levels of game and social media addictive behaviors than those in the other three classes, but this did not hold for Chinese students. This finding indicates that the association between helicopter parenting and college students' game and social media addictive behaviors can be differentiated within Asian cultural contexts.

Perceived Social Support, Psychological Capital, and Subjective Well-Being among College Students in the Context of Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study examined the relationship between perceived social support and subjective well-being among college students in the context of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. 515 college students in China that participated in an online questionnaire investigation were selected as the research sample. The results showed that perceived social support was significantly and positively associated with life satisfaction and positive affect and was significantly and negatively related to negative affect among college students learning online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological capital (PsyCap) significantly mediated the relationships between perceived social support and three subjective well-being variables. The present study provides some implications to protect college students’ subjective well-being in the context of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Helicopter parenting and depressive level among non-clinical Chinese college students: A moderated mediation model

BACKGROUND

Helicopter parenting has been one of major contributing factors to depression, and the occurrence of severe depressive level has been increasing in college students. Based on self-determinant theory (SDT), previous studies have indicated the pathway between helicopter parenting and depressive level, especially focusing on the roles of basic psychological needs, self-control and teacher autonomy support. But few studies focused on the full model of these interactive factors and the Chinese non-clinical college students.

METHODS

Non-clinical college students (n = 648), aging from 17 to 28 years old, were recruited as participants from universities in Guangzhou, China, in 2020. The participants were asked to complete five self-report questionnaires, including Helicopter Parenting Scale (HPS), Learning Climate Questionnaire (LCQ), Basic Psychological Needs Scale (BPNS), Self-Control Scale (SCS), and Beck Depression Scale-II (BDI-II).

RESULTS

Results have revealed that basic psychological needs and self-control played a chain-type mediating role between helicopter parenting and depressive scores among non-clinical Chinese college students. In addition, the path between helicopter parenting and basic psychological needs was moderated by teacher autonomy support.

CONCLUSIONS

This study reveals a potential pathway of how helicopter parenting influence the depressive level among non-clinical college students in the context of Chinese background. These findings give multi-dimensional (parents, teachers, and college students) indications for reducing the effects of helicopter parenting on depressive level among non-clinical Chinese college students, which will be helpful for improving their mental health. However, this is a cross-sectional study and other factors may also play important roles in this pathway.