Open Access

ARTICLE

How helicopter parenting fosters malevolent creativity: A serial mediation model of family environment and moral identity

Lihua Xu^1,2, Jinmei Liu³, Yan Wang⁴, Wenfu Li^3,*

1 School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, China
2 Hebei Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Brain Science, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, China
3 School of Rehabilitation Medicine, Jining Medical University, Jining, China
4 School of Mental Health, Jining Medical University, Jining, China

* Corresponding Author: Wenfu Li. Email:

Journal of Psychology in Africa 2026, 36(2), 239-248. https://doi.org/10.32604/jpa.2026.078257

Received 27 December 2025; Accepted 24 March 2026; Issue published 29 April 2026

Abstract

This study investigated the association between helicopter parenting and malevolent creativity among college students, and the serial mediating roles of family environment and moral identity. The study sample comprised 489 Chinese college students (females = 56.2%, 18–23 years old = 87.1%). The students completed self-report measures assessing helicopter parenting, family environment, moral identity, and malevolent creativity. The results of serial mediation model showed that helicopter parenting was significantly associated with higher malevolent creativity. Moreover, family environment and moral identity sequentially mediated this relationship. Specifically, helicopter parenting may contribute to a negative family environment and undermine individuals’ moral identity, thereby leading to higher levels of malevolent creativity. The findings are consistent with Psychological Reactance Theory, Family Systems Theory, and Self-Determination Theory, indicating that helicopter parenting may foster malevolent creativity both directly and indirectly through its detrimental effects on family environment and moral development. These findings highlight the importance of parenting behaviors on malevolent creativity and provide a scientific basis for early identification and intervention in high-risk family contexts.

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Keywords

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