Longitudinal Relationship Between Helicopter Parenting and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Middle Adolescents: An...

Although substantial evidence has established an association between helicopter parenting and depressive symptoms, the causal direction between the two remains unclear. In particular, the dynamic interplay between the different dimension of helicopter parenting and depressive symptoms throughout adolescence has not been sufficiently explored. This longitudinal study examined the developmental transactions between the different dimension of helicopter parenting and depressive symptoms during middle adolescence.

A total of 695 junior high school students (52.10% male; M_age = 12.89, SD = 0.72) were assessed for 3 waves over 18 months. At each wave (starting November 2024), youth self-reported their depressive symptoms and perception of parents' helicopter parenting behavior.

Analyses based on the random intercept cross-lagged panel model revealed a significant relationship between helicopter parenting and depressive symptoms, with significant gender differences. For girls, a decrease in helicopter parenting (i.e., anticipatory problem solving) predicted later increases in levels of depressive symptoms, an increase in levels of depressive symptoms predicted a subsequent decrease in helicopter parenting (i.e., advice/affect management and anticipatory problem solving). No significant cross-lagged associations were found between boys' depressive symptoms and the various dimensions of helicopter parenting.

These findings highlight the gender-specific dynamics between helicopter parenting and depressive symptoms during adolescent development, providing new empirical insights into their relationship.