Multi-Informant Profiles of Helicopter Parenting and Parent-Child Intimacy: Longitudinal Links with Adolescents’ Self-Discipline and Problematic Internet Use

Abstract

Family systems theory emphasizes the combined influence of various family factors and the heterogeneity across families. Prior research has separately examined the effects of helicopter parenting and parent-child relationships on adolescent self-regulation-related behaviors, leaving their combined influence unclear. This study adopts a person-centered approach to identify latent profiles of helicopter parenting and parent-child intimacy and examine their longitudinal links with self-discipline and problematic internet use. Matched data on fathers (M_age = 42.65, SD = 4.34), mothers (M_age = 41.60, SD = 3.88), and children (M_age = 12.78, SD = 0.94, 51.6% female) from 283 families were included at two time points (T1 and T2, six months apart). Three distinct profiles emerged: moderate helicopter parenting with low intimacy, low helicopter parenting with moderate intimacy, and moderate helicopter parenting with moderate intimacy. At T2, compared to adolescents in moderate helicopter parenting with moderate intimacy families, those in moderate helicopter parenting with low intimacy families exhibited lower self-discipline and higher problematic internet use, and those in low helicopter parenting with moderate intimacy families demonstrated higher self-control. Additionally, compared to adolescents in low helicopter parenting with moderate intimacy families, those in moderate helicopter parenting with low intimacy families had lower self-control and higher problematic internet use. These findings underscore the importance of considering both helicopter parenting and parent-child intimacy when examining adolescent self-regulation.