Excessive parental intervention in the early years of their children's lives affects decision-making: a study led by Jelena Obradovi?
Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
Research has shown that engaged parenting helps children develop cognitive and emotional skills. However, Too much parental direction can sometimes backfire, according to a new study led by Jelena Obradovi?Associate Professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education.
In the paper published March 11 in the Journal of Family Psychology, researchers looked at parents' behavior when kindergarten-age children were actively engaged in playing, cleaning up toys, learning a new game and discussing a problem.
The study revealed that children of parents who intervened more often to give instructions, corrections or suggestions or to ask questions, even though the children were appropriately focused on the task, showed more difficulty regulating their behavior and emotions at other times.
These children also performed worse on tasks measuring delayed gratification and other executive functions, skills associated with impulse control, and the ability to switch between competing demands for attention.
According to Obradovi? and his co-authors, such reactions in children occur across the socioeconomic spectrum, so all children are susceptible to such treatment.
"Parents have been conditioned to find ways to get involved, even when children are focused and actively playing or doing what they were asked to do," said Obradovi? who also directs the Stanford Project on Adaptation and Resilience in Children (SPARK).
However, she added that "too much direct involvement can take a toll on children's abilities to control their own attention, behavior and emotions. When parents let children take the lead in their interactions, children practice self-regulation skills and develop independence.
Obradovi? research sheds new light on how "helicopter" or "snowplow" parents hinder their children's development during the critical transition to elementary school.
Finding the right balance when interacting with children is especially important in kindergarten, said Obradovi?, whose research examines how caregiving environments contribute to children's health, learning and well-being over time.
She added that the beginning of elementary school is an especially challenging time when children are expected to manage their attention, emotions, and behaviors without direct help from parents.
"This is a really important change, when parents have to learn to push back," he said.
For their research, Obradovi? and his co-authors, Michael Sulik, a research scientist at SPARK, and Anne Shaffer, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Georgia, gathered a diverse group of 102 children ages 4 to 6 and their primary caregivers in a Stanford lab.
For their analysis, Obradovi? and his collaborators created a measure of what they call "excessive parental involvement. They noted times when a child worked independently or led an activity, and calculated the ratio of times when parents intervened in ways that should be helpful (not harsh or manipulative) to times when they followed the child's lead.
Thus, the researchers found a correlation between high levels of parental involvement when a child is focused on a task and infants' difficulties with self-regulation and other behaviors.
The researcher said that the aim of the study is not to criticize parents.
"When we talk about excessive parental engagement, we're not saying it's bad or obviously intrusive engagement," she said. "There's nothing wrong with suggesting ideas or giving kids advice."
However, she said it is important for parents to be aware that teachable moments have their place.
Helping a preschooler complete a puzzle, for example, has been shown to support cognitive development and build independence. And guidance is important when children don't pay attention, break rules or only half-participate in an activity, she explained.
She added that sometimes children just need to be left alone or allowed to be in charge.
This message may be especially relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic, Obradovi? noted, when parents may wonder how much direct involvement their children need, especially as everyone balances new obligations.
"Have that honest conversation with yourself, especially if your child is doing well," she said. "As stressful as this time is, try to find opportunities for them to take the lead," she finished.
