Parental Perfectionism, Helicopter Parenting, and Adjustment in Adolescents Identified as Gifted: A Dyadic Model
Ergün Kara, Halil AslanABSTRACT
Background
Parenting behaviors play a critical role in shaping adolescents' psychological well‐being. However, few studies have simultaneously examined both adolescents identified as gifted and their parents, leaving parent–adolescent discrepancies underexplored.
Objective
This study investigated the relationships between parental perfectionism, helicopter parenting, and psychological outcomes in parent‐adolescent dyads ( N = 100) using dyadic path analysis within a structural equation modeling framework.
Method
Adolescents identified as gifted (57% male, age range 10–17 years, M = 12.45, SD = 1.82) and their parents (64% male, age range 35–52 years, M = 42.83, SD = 4.15). Parents completed measures of perfectionist strivings (PS), perfectionist concerns (PC), overparenting, depression‐anxiety‐stress, and life satisfaction. Adolescents reported on perceived helicopter parenting, inferiority feeling, loneliness, happiness, and life satisfaction.
Results
Parental PS significantly predicted overparenting behaviors ( β = 0.183, p < 0.05), while PC did not. Parental overparenting positively predicted parental life satisfaction ( β = 0.333, p < 0.001). Adolescents' perceptions of helicopter parenting strongly predicted inferiority feelings ( β = 0.391, p < 0.001), which predicted increased loneliness ( β = 0.537, p < 0.001), decreased happiness ( β = −0.283, p < 0.01), and reduced life satisfaction ( β = −0.486, p < 0.001).
Conclusions
Findings highlight the mechanisms through which parental perfectionism manifests in controlling behaviors that may undermine the autonomy and psychological well‐being of adolescents identified as gifted, particularly older gifted adolescents.
Implications
Results emphasize the importance of addressing perception differences between parents and their adolescents identified as gifted and developing developmentally sensitive approaches to parenting interventions.