Helicopter parents—mothers who are overprotective of their children in their early stages of development—could heighten the child's risk of anxiety later in life, a recent study has found.

Researchers from the Macquarie University Centre for Emotional Health in Sydney, Australia, followed 200 children, assessing them for the first time when they were between 3 and 4 years old, and then again about five years later. Their evaluations found that preschoolers who displayed signs of anxiety were more likely to have over involved mothers.

"The study found that the strongest predictor of anxiety at age 9 was the child's anxiety at age 4," said lead researcher Professor Jennifer Hudson.

Researchers observed mothers while they were interacting with their children. They also asked them to respond to statements such as "I determine whom my child will play with," and "I dress my child even if he/she can do it alone."

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