Communication helps parents relate to new college students, but it has its limits

In an article published in the journal Emerging AdulthoodWSU Assistant Professor Jennifer Duckworth and co-authors found that communicating by phone, text, video or in person made first-year students feel better about their relationships with their parents. Students also felt better about the relationship when parents offered support or advice and discussed important topics such as studying and friendships. But the researchers found negative relationships when parents initiated almost all of the communication.

“This could be indicative of overinvolved parenting,” said Duckworth, a lecturer in WSU’s department of human development. “It can be a fine line, but students who have so-called ‘helicopter parents’ may have a more negative view of their relationships with those parents.”

Research shows that it helps when parents are regularly involved in their students’ lives, providing support and discussing issues that are important to their students without overwhelming them.

“Text messages are great for a quick check-in, which can be very beneficial for relationship quality,” says Duckworth. “If a student feels like they have a good relationship, that’s predictive of well-being and positive behaviors, like studying harder and using less alcohol and drugs.”

The study also shows that frequent communication improves relationships between family units.

“We looked at daily levels of parent/student communication, and days with communication were better for the relationship than days without communication,” Duckworth said. “Similarly, days with more communication were better than days with less communication.”

The researchers were surprised at how consistent the findings were.

“On days when students communicated with their parents, were honest, and parents offered support or advice, they reported feeling more positive about their relationships the next day,” she said.

The study looked at the response results of 367 first-year WSU students who participated in a daily survey for seven days. Students were compensated up to $30 if they completed each survey, which was texted to their phones.

Breaking down the data, the authors found several differences. Female students reported more contact days than males and spent more time communicating. They discussed friendships and relationships more, but spent less time discussing time management than males.

Meanwhile, members of racial or ethnic minority groups reported fewer days of communication with their parents. While they spent less time communicating overall, students from minority groups spent more time on the phone and in video chats with their parents than other groups. They also reported being less honest and spending less time studying or talking about grades, drinking or substance use.

“We don’t know why this is the case,” Duckworth said. “It may reflect cultural or contextual differences or differences in parenting styles. It’s definitely an area for future research.”

Duckworth co-authored the paper with WSU colleagues Katherine Forsythe, Brittany Cooper and Laura Hill, and Matthew Bumpus, Director of Research and Community Impact at the Innovia Foundation.