고등학생․대학생 자녀를 둔 어머니의 헬리콥터 부모역할과 주관적 안녕감

Mothers’ Helicopter Parenting and Subjective Well-being

In recent years, there has been increased concern about helicopter parenting, which reflects parenting behaviors that are overinvolved or over controlled without granting sufficient autonomy given the age and maturity level of children. This study examined how helicopter parenting is associated with mothers subjective well-being. Data were collected from three hundred and thirty-four married mothers who had the first children attending high schools or universities in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. Mothers completed a self-administered questionnaire including the adjusted parent form of Helicopter Parenting Scale and Concise Measure of Subjective Well-Being. The major findings of this study were as follows: First, both of mothers with high school and college student children similarly reported moderate levels of helicopter parenting and subjective well-being. Among the sociodemographic characteristics, only children’s school grades were positively associated with mothers’ subjective well-being. Second, the hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that full-time mothers with higher family incomes and children with higher school grades reported higher levels of helicopter parenting. Finally, mothers with higher levels of helicopter parenting reported higher levels of negative emotion after controlling for mothers’ employment status, family incomes, and children’s school grades. The implications of these results were discussed for family therapy and parent education programs for parents with adolescent and early adult children.