Month/Year of Graduation

5-2022

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Department

Sociology and Anthropology

First Advisor

Dr. Daniel Hawkins

Abstract

Helicopter parenting is a relatively new phenomenon that involves parental overinvolvement in their kids’ lives. It can manifest in the form of overcontrol of their kids’ decisions, for example, so helicopter parents may contact their children’s professors about changing their grades, or they may control who their children spend time with. Research has shown that helicopter parenting has overall negative effects on young adults, especially regarding their well-being and autonomy. The effects of helicopter parenting on people who come from varying backgrounds can differ, though, and this is something that should be studied. This study was completed through the administration of a survey, and the survey found that helicopter parenting does have differences in the way it affects young adults of different identities, with some of the most prominent findings being that children of immigrants are less negatively affected by helicopter parenting than children of American-born parents, and the use of helicopter parenting affects the autonomy of men worse than women. These results show that it is important to always consider differences in respondents’ identities in any study. If this is not done, the study should not be considered complete. The background of different respondents can yield different results in many cases, and that should encourage people to look at the overall society we live in. The goal of this study was not only to examine the effects of helicopter parenting, but to examine how factors that aren’t typically considered can also affect young adults raised by helicopter parenting.

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