{"id":28976,"date":"2025-09-04T22:09:15","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T22:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=28976"},"modified":"2025-09-04T22:09:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T22:09:17","slug":"overprotective-parenting-tied-to-increased-anxiety-in-university-freshmen-new-study-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/overprotective-parenting-tied-to-increased-anxiety-in-university-freshmen-new-study-finds\/","title":{"rendered":"Overprotective Parenting Tied to Increased Anxiety in University Freshmen, New Study Finds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">A recent study from McGill University and UCLA suggests that freshmen who grew up with overprotective parents are more likely to experience heightened anxiety when transitioning to university. This finding sheds light on the potential long-term effects of parental behaviors on young adults.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-b0ffac9c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span 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88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First-year students stepping onto university campuses, a milestone often filled with excitement and potential, may find their experiences clouded by anxiety \u2014 especially if they grew up with overprotective parents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Researchers from McGill University and the University of California, Los Angeles, have discovered a striking correlation between students\u2019 upbringing and their ability to handle the stresses associated with transitioning to university life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The study, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/development-and-psychopathology\/article\/parental-overprotection-moderates-the-association-between-recent-stressor-exposure-and-anxiety-during-the-transition-to-university\/AB8B130ECC77A41E9E0BEE271BEFFDF5\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in the journal Development and Psychopathology, involved 240 first-year McGill students who completed extensive questionnaires within the first six weeks of fall semester. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These questionnaires measured various factors: the parenting style they experienced, current anxiety levels, and the types of stressors they faced during this pivotal period, ranging from housing issues to personal losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe found that students whose parents are very protective experience a stronger link between exposure to stressful events and feelings of anxiety,\u201d lead author Lidia Panier, a doctoral candidate in McGill\u2019s Department of Psychology, said in a news release. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The research team highlighted that while their findings do not definitively prove that overprotective parenting directly causes anxiety, the results align with existing research that suggests over-controlling parental behaviors may contribute to insecure attachment and poorer emotion regulation in children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPrevious findings show that overprotective parenting leads to insecure attachment and poorer emotion regulation, both of which are linked to greater vulnerability to anxiety,\u201d Panier added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moreover, Panier noted that overprotective parenting might stem from parents\u2019 responses to their child\u2019s inherent anxious tendencies, creating a complex interplay of behaviors and reactions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThese interpretations are not mutually exclusive,\u201d she explained. \u201cA bi-directional dynamic where child behaviors influence parenting, which then affects child development, is also well-supported in the literature.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This study opens new avenues for future research on how best to support young adults experiencing anxiety during such life transitions. Panier envisions examining whether supportive peer relationships in the university setting could bolster resilience among students who had overprotective upbringings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt would be interesting to see if these patterns can change over time, such as whether supportive peer relationships in university can help young adults become more resilient, even if they experienced overprotective parenting,\u201d said Panier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:16px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcgill.ca\/newsroom\/channels\/news\/students-overprotective-parents-are-more-vulnerable-anxiety-during-their-transition-university-367038\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">McGill University<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>First-year students stepping onto university campuses, a milestone often filled with excitement and potential, may find their experiences clouded by anxiety \u2014 especially if they grew up with overprotective parents. Researchers from McGill University and the University of California, Los Angeles, have discovered a striking correlation between students\u2019 upbringing and their ability to handle the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[65,202],"class_list":["post-28976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-people-culture","tag-mcgill-university","tag-ucla"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"First-year students stepping onto university campuses, a milestone often filled with excitement and potential, may find their experiences clouded by anxiety \u2014 especially if they grew up with overprotective parents. Researchers from McGill University and the University of California, Los Angeles, have discovered a striking correlation between students\u2019 upbringing and their ability to handle the&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28976"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28976\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29008,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28976\/revisions\/29008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}