Kayla Sundean talks to her mom on the phone at least three times a day. She sees her parents at least once a month because her home is two hours away.
In high school, the 18-year-old UF applied physiology and kinesiology and health education and behavior freshman, said her parents were over-controlling “helicopter” parents.
A new study revealed over-controlling parents are negatively impacting their college student’s ability to feel independent and competent. The study, from the University of Mary Washington, showed some students are more than frustrated by their helicopter parents — they’re depressed and dissatisfied with their lives.
Victor Harris, a UF assistant professor in the department of family youth and community sciences, said helicopter parents tend to be dominating and overprotective.
“It’s a really fine line to try and balance between how much to try and help the child and how much not to,” he said. “If a child feels like the parent is too much involved, it’s the child’s responsibility to say so.”
The study was based on an online survey of 297 U.S undergraduate students. In the survey, students were asked to describe their mothers’ parenting behavior.
Beverly Brady, a licensed psychologist at the UF Counseling and Wellness Center, said the center has students who come in complaining their moms won’t stop checking up on them.
“We have students who complain that their parents text several times a day, and the parents expect the students to respond immediately,” Brady said.
She said the center receives calls from concerned parents at the beginning of every Fall semester — mostly from freshmen parents.
Plus, parents now text, Skype and Facebook message kids. Harris said the technology has made parents feel the need to intervene more.
“As students try and gain more independence, parents need to back off and have a free, open and congruent communication about the process,” he said.
Harris also said when the market is more competitive, parents want to express that expectation.
Before college, Sundean said, she didn’t know what it was like to be independent. She now pays for tuition, gas, food and housing.
“When I’m here they let me experience college,” she said. “Now they call me to make sure I’m OK and if I need help, they help.”
