Helicopter Parenting: Effects on Medical Students’ Adaptation and Academic Achievement

Chaina Hanum (Medical Education Unit, Faculty of Medicine, State University of Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia)
Atien Nur Chamidah (Medical Education Unit, Faculty of Medicine, State University of Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia)
Rita Mustika (Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia)

Green Medical Journal
Vol 7 No 2 (2025): Green Medical Journal

Introduction: Helicopter parenting has many negative impacts on higher education, including how it affects students’ college adjustment and academic achievement. Although a wide range of articles explore helicopter parenting and its influence on higher education, the research on medical education still scarce. Methods: The aims of this study provide a brief explanation of helicopter parenting and its impact on medical education. Articles were collected by assessing SpringerLink, ScienceDirect, Taylor & Francis, and Google Scholar databases. Result: Overcontrol and overprotective manners from helicopter parents may reduce children’s sense of autonomy and competence. Hence, it significantly reduces students’ self-efficacy, self-directed learning, and has low intrinsic motivation in learning. The children of helicopter parents are vulnerable to stress, anxiety, and depression, and tend to have difficulties adjusting to college life. Conclusion: Considering the negative impacts of helicopter parenting, faculty and medical teachers need to develop strategies to address the issue and prevent further impacts.