Parental Perfectionism, Helicopter Parenting, and Adjustment in Adolescents Identified as Gifted: A Dyadic Model

Abstract

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 (beta = 0.183, p < 0.05), while PC did not. Parental overparenting positively predicted parental life satisfaction (beta = 0.333, p < 0.001). Adolescents' perceptions of helicopter parenting strongly predicted inferiority feelings (beta = 0.391, p < 0.001), which predicted increased loneliness (beta = 0.537, p < 0.001), decreased happiness (beta = -0.283, p < 0.01), and reduced life satisfaction (beta = -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.