Predictors of withdrawal behavior in adolescents: Parental emotional warmth, helicopter parenting, and emotion regulation.

PURPOSE: This study investigates the role of adolescents' emotion regulation skills, helicopter parenting, and parental emotional warmth in relation to withdrawal behavior.

DESIGN AND

METHODS

A descriptive and correlational research design was used in this study. The sample consisted of 852 adolescents who agreed to participate in the study. Data were collected through the "Personal Information Form", the "Hikikomori Questionnaire (HQ-8)", the "Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents", the "Parental Rearing Behaviour Scale", and the "Perceived Helicopter Parenting Attitude Scale".

RESULTS

The findings indicate that adolescents' age, family structure, and the presence of close friends were significantly associated with withdrawal behavior. Besides, parents' emotional warmth, paternal helicopter parenting style, and adolescents' cognitive emotion regulation capacities were also found to be associated with levels of withdrawal behavior.

CONCLUSION

This study reveals that both individual and environmental factors explain adolescents' levels of withdrawal behavior.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Pediatric nurses and healthcare providers working with adolescents should be attentive to signs of excessive parental control, particularly behaviors associated with helicopter parenting, which may undermine adolescents' emotional regulation capacities and social engagement. Interventions and parent education programs should prioritize fostering emotional warmth and encouraging balanced involvement in adolescents' lives.