Impact of Parental Overprotection on Impulsivity and Decision-Making among Emerging Adults

Abstract

In this paper, parental overprotection has been discussed regarding their effects on impulsivity and decision making among emerging adults. We believe that emotional and cognitive development can be influenced by extreme parental control and a deficit of autonomy and affect impulse control and decision-making skills. The quantitative correlational design employed had a sample of (N=105) individuals between the ages of 18 and 25 years who had taken standardized self-report questionnaires. The measure of parental overprotection, impulsivity, and decision-making was administered on validated psychometric scales and analyzed in the SPSS version 27. The Pearson correlations demonstrated the significant positive correlation between parental overprotection and impulsivity (r = .42, p <.01) and the significant negative correlation between parental overprotection and effective decision-making (r = -.31, p <.05). These correlations were verified using multiple regression. The assessment of reliability showed that the instruments have good internal consistency with Cronbach values of between 0.68 and 0.78. According to our results, parental overprotectiveness when elevated correlates with extreme impulsiveness and poor decision-making capabilities in developing adults. The findings highlight the need to have balanced parenthood that promotes independence and yet gives relevant guidance. Future research ought to test such correlations in various cultural settings and their use of longitudinal research designs to determine cause and effect.