Informant discrepancy profiles of helicopter parenting and adult children's partner-controlling and partner-controlled behaviors.

Abstract

Helicopter parenting is a distinctive, intrusive parenting approach characterized by high involvement, elements of control, and limited autonomy granted. It may impact adult children's engagement in partner-controlling and partner-controlled behaviors. However, little research has assessed the patterns of parent-child perception differences regarding helicopter parenting and their connections to these behaviors. This study aimed to identify profiles of informant discrepancies regarding helicopter parenting within Chinese families and explore their associations with adult children's partner-controlling and partner-controlled behaviors. Matched data from fathers, mothers, and adult children in one hundred and ninety-six intact families were included. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted, identifying four profiles: parents over child (13.78%), child moderately over mother and moderately under father (17.35%), no consistent disagreements (49.49%), and child over parents (19.39%). Children whose perceptions aligned with their parents reported fewer partner-controlling and partner-controlled behaviors, compared to those whose perceptions exceeded their parents'. Similarly, children whose perceptions were lower than their parents' also reported fewer partner-controlled behaviors compared to those with higher perceptions. The findings provide evidence for understanding dynamic patterns of informant discrepancies regarding helicopter parenting in Chinese families and support the development of family-based interventions to address partner-controlling and partner-controlled behaviors.