Poster #64 - Associations between Helicopter Parenting and Alcohol Consumption in Emerging Adults: Moderating Effect of Emotion Dysregulation

• In Event: Poster Session 10

Abstract

Introduction:
The use of alcohol increases dramatically during the emerging adulthood years (Reid & Carey, 2015). Drinking behavior during the transition to adulthood negatively impacts health and well-being (Reid & Carey, 2015). Previous research has identified parenting behavior as one of the strongest predictors of drinking outcomes in emerging adults (Abar & Turrisi, 2008). Helicopter parenting is a parenting behavior defined as overcontrolling parenting. A growing amount of research consistently links helicopter parenting to mental health problems (Schiffrin et al., 2014), emotion regulation difficulties, and increased substance use among emerging adults (Moilanen & Lynn Manuel, 2019). It is unclear, however, which emerging adults are most negatively impacted by helicopter parenting or whether this parenting style may be beneficial for certain children. Emotion dysregulation has previously been identified as a risk factor for alcohol use in emerging adulthood (e.g., Cui et al., 2019); thus, the current study tested whether emerging adult emotion dysregulation moderated the association between helicopter parenting and alcohol use.
Method:
Participants included 771 undergraduate students at two private universities in the United States. Participants completed online surveys measuring helicopter parenting, emotional dysregulation and alcohol use. Helicopter parenting was measured using the Helicopter Parenting and Autonomy Supportive Behavior scale (Schiffrin et al., 2014). Emotion dysregulation was measured using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (Gratz & Roemer, 2004), a 36-item questionnaire where a higher score indicates lower levels of emotion self-regulation. Alcohol use was measured by The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT; Saunders et al., 1993), a 10-item questionnaire that screen for hazardous drinking.
Results:
A moderated regression analysis was conducted using the PROCESS package in SPSS to determine whether emotion dysregulation moderated the relationship between helicopter parenting and alcohol use. Results revealed a significant interaction between helicopter parenting and emotion dysregulation, b = .02 (SE = .01), t = 2.14, p = .03. Simple slope analyses revealed that at low and moderate levels of emotion dysregulation, alcohol use did not significantly increase as helicopter parenting levels increased, ps ≥ .16; but, at high levels of emotion dysregulation, alcohol use increased as helicopter parenting increased, b = .59 (SE = .23), p = 2.58, p = .01.
Discussion:
Emerging adults who have difficulties regulating their emotions may be particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of helicopter parenting. These findings provide support for a dual risk model wherein emerging adults who struggle to control impulses and manage emotions may be particularly reactive in the face of parenting that is intrusive, controlling, and developmentally inappropriate. In this case, this reactivity may manifest in the form of excessive drinking. Identifying for whom and when helicopter parenting is maladaptive is critical for developing targeted prevention and intervention programs. This is particularly relevant for college students as they are at heightened risk for mental health problems and maladaptive alcohol use.

Authors

• Anastasiia Konstantinovna Pavlova, Texas Christian University
  Presenting Author

• Sydney Wright

• Sarah Madison, Texas Christian University

• Chrystyna D Kouros, Southern Methodist University

• Naomi Ekas, Texas Christian University