Helicopter Parenting, Psychological Well-being, and Academic Engagement among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Emotion Dysregulation

Over the past two decades, intensive parenting practices have gained attention in parenting research. The current study examined the associations between maternal and paternal helicopter parenting (HP) and adolescents’ psychological well-being and academic engagement, with a focus on the mediating role of emotion dysregulation. A cross-sectional correlational design was employed, with data collected from a sample of 281 adolescents ( M _age = 15.62; Male = 86; Female = 195) in Kerala, India. Results showed that both maternal and paternal HP were positively correlated with academic engagement. However, no significant correlation was found between HP and adolescent psychological well-being. The mediation analysis shows an indirect effect of maternal HP on psychological well-being, thus confirming the importance of emotion regulation in parent–child relationships. However, the mediating effects of emotion dysregulation in the association between paternal HP and adolescent psychological well-being and academic engagement were not significant. The findings highlight the differences in the effects of maternal and paternal HP. The study also emphasizes disentangling specific HP behaviors and emotion dysregulation as a mechanism of risk, providing useful clinical implications for improving adolescents’ well-being.