Leaving-Home Patterns in Emerging Adults
The Impact of Earlier Parental Support and Developmental Task Progression
1This paper is part of a series on “Youth Development in Europe: Transitions and Identities” that will appear in the European Psychologist throughout 2008 and 2009. Taken together, the papers aim to make a conceptual contribution to the increasingly important area of youth development, especially within the context of an expanding Europe, by focusing on variations and changes in the transition to adulthood and emerging identities. The series will conclude with a summary by the organizers of the series, Katariina Salmela-Aro (University of Jyväskylä, Finland) and Ingrid Schoon (University of London, UK).
Abstract
In a longitudinal study on 93 participants, the relationships between leaving home, developmental task progression, and the amount of parental support were analyzed over a time span of 11 years. Three different leaving-home patterns emerged: on-time leavers, late leavers/returners, and those still residing with their parents at ages 21 to 25. Aspirations with respect to the attainment of developmental tasks specific to adolescence and emerging adulthood did not differ between individuals with different leaving-home patterns. Perceived developmental task progression during adolescence was influential, but the more recent developmental task progression during emerging adulthood was even more predictive for different leaving-home outcomes. The amounts of fathers’ and mothers’ support during adolescence were found to be important predictors of the timing of leaving home.
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