The Impact of Perceived Helicopter Parenting Attitudes and Emotional Dysregulation on Social Media Addiction Among University Students

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of perceived helicopter parenting attitudes and emotional dysregulation on social media addiction among university students. A cross-sectional and correlational research design was employed. Study data were collected face-to-face between December 2022 and October 2023 using a Personal Information Form, the Social Media Addiction Scale-Adult Form, the Perceived Helicopter Parent Attitude Scale, and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-Short Form. There was a significant positive correlation between the participants’ perceived helicopter parent attitudes and difficulty in emotion regulation scores and social media addiction scores. Emotional dysregulation and helicopter father attitudes explained 12.1% of the variance in the students’ social media addiction. When designing specific interventions to prevent social media addiction, mental health professionals working in behavioral addiction should focus on developing emotion regulation skills and evaluating young people's relationships with their parents, which may help them achieve a healthier adaptation. The provision of education for young people for developing their emotion regulation skills and raising awareness of families about helicopter parent attitudes can be useful in preventing social media addiction.