Previous work has shown that students who have troublesome relationships with their parents show higher risk factors for poorer college adjustment. In the present study, we focused on the balance between two key aspects of parenting style, parental care and overprotection, as they affect the transition to college life. Eighty-three undergraduate college students completed the College Adjustment Scales and the Parental Bonding Instrument. The most successful college adjustment was seen in students with parents viewed as providing the unique combination of high care and low overprotection. Higher parental care and less overprotection were significantly associated with better college adjustment across several domains of college-related problems, including academic problems, anxiety, interpersonal problems, depression, self-esteem problems, and family problems. Both maternal and paternal care was critical for successful college adjustment. These results have important implications for understanding how familial issues powerfully influence college adjustment and student retention, and provide compelling evidence of the need for limits to parental support in students entering college.
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