FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (CBSDC) - Researchers at the University of Mary Washington have found that college students who have overbearing parents are more likely to experience depression.

The study, which was published in Journal of Child and Family Studies, aimed to define the effects of what researchers refer to as “helicopter parenting” on college-age children.

“Students who reported having over-controlling parents reported significantly higher levels of depression and less satisfaction with life,” an abstract summary of the study stated.

The study added, “Furthermore, the negative effects of helicopter parenting on college students’ well-being were largely explained by the perceived violation of students’ basic psychological needs for autonomy and competence.”

Researchers reach this conclusion after compiling results from 300 undergraduate college students throughout the United States, according to the National Monitor.

Study author Holly Schiffrin, working in tandem with her colleagues, reportedly learned from the completed questionnaires that helicopter parenting ultimately led to students feeling less in control of their lives.

According to the National Monitor, researchers recommended that parents taper off their level of control in their children’s lives as they get older, to foster independence and, in turn, increase happiness.