Curry Online - Spring 09 - Brian Cullaty
Parental Involvement Not All Bad, Study Finds
Posted May 2009
The media have dubbed them “helicopter parents” because of their constant hovering around their children. Many of these parents have micromanaged their children’s lives for 18 years and now just can’t let go. They have even been known to contact professors about grading disputes and intervene in roommate conflicts. The problem with this kind of intense parental involvement, Cullaty says, is that it stymies students’ autonomy development. “Then when students are ready to graduate from college,” Cullaty says, “they express fears about living on their own and being financially independent and making confident decisions.” Cullaty was attracted to the Curry School’s higher education doctoral program by the reputation of its faculty. Once he entered the program, he decided to focus his dissertation research on this very issue. “I wanted to learn how to harness parents’ energy on behalf of their children in positive ways,” Cullaty says. “Not all parental involvement is negative.” Cullaty interviewed 18 third-year college students at length about their relationship with their parents since entering college. From this data, he was able to glean a clear description of how parents can either promote or inhibit student autonomy. “First, I found that autonomy develops in the context of supportive relationships,” Cullaty says. “Support involves listening to the student, asking questions, respecting independent decisions, and offering emotional encouragement.” Three specific parental behaviors appeared to promote students’ autonomy development: redefining the parent-to-child relationship as an adult-to-adult relationship, encouraging responsibility, and relinquishing unnecessary control. “Parents can support their students financially, for example, but still teach them how to create a budget and let them pay their own bills rather than paying all the bills for them,” Cullaty says. “The students who were given this kind of responsibility said they felt more confident about handling their finances after graduation.” On the other hand, students expressed frustration and even resentment when parents became too involved in their career or academic plans. Cullaty found that when parents exerted excessive influence, students found themselves feeling conflicted about their decisions and second-guessing their choices. Students valued parents, however, who sometimes disagreed with their opinions but still respected their independent decisions. Their preference was for parents who allowed them to make mistakes and then supported them when they had to cope with the consequences. Even though cell-phones and computers keep parents more closely connected to their college-age children than ever, Cullaty concluded, those who can relinquish control and provide appropriate support provide a safe space for a successful transition into adulthood. Cullaty’s dissertation, which he defended in December 2008, has received the Burns B. Crookston Doctoral Research Award from the American College Personnel Association. The award recognizes original, journal-quality, research that brings greater understanding to the development of students and the administration of student affairs practice.
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Brian Cullaty first noticed the phenomenon working as an academic advisor at the University of Florida. Parents increasingly emailed him and even showed up at advising appointments with their college student children.