OVER-INVOLVED PARENTING

A TEENAGE DILEMMA?

What is over-involved parenting?

Over involved parenting refers to being overly involved, overly controlling, and

overly stimulating. Overly involved parents usually hover over their children and

make day-to-day decisions for them.

It may sound like the ultimate in parental devotion, but by trying to make the child

happy, they don't give the child a chance to learn to make herself happy.

Methodology

A validated questionnaire formulated by Dr. Achal Bhagat, a psychiatrist at Delhi’s Apollo hospital was administered to two samples, each consisted 30 participants. (parents and adolescents)

A Chi Square test was used to check whether adolescents feel the lack of autonomy due to over-involved parenting.

Results O E O-E (O-E)^2/E19 18.43 0.57 5.9812 16.20 -4.2 1.0821 18.90 2.1 0.2334 4.22 -0.22 0.015 4.05 0.95 0.224 4.72 -0.72 0.102 3.89 -1.89 0.917 3.74 3.26 2.843 4.36 -1.36 0.42

Total = 11.79

According to the results, the test was found to be statistically significant, X^2 (4, n = 30) = 11.79, p < 0.01. This means that more than 90% of the sample believe that over-involved parenting creates a hindrance to their autonomy.

Disciplinary strategies or, to put in layman’s language, too much of control on a child’s life affects their autonomy.

Attachment behavioural systems, where adolescents believe that a part of their autonomy is reflected by moving away from their parents.

Conclusion

This study does not attempt to negate over-protective parenting in any way. It’s sole purpose is to bring forth the opinions of the people involved in it. Others may have different ideas about the same.

In fact, a research has found otherwise where researchers have found positive effects of over involved parenting. (Henderson & Berla, 1994)

THANK YOU! SAMIKSHA SIVAN