To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Press Release : Mar 23, 2011  The Journal of Marriage and Family

"The findings provide evidence that families are adaptive and responsive to family members needs and troubles, and that parents are more likely to support adult children, even those who are older, to help them get through hard times and to help them attain self-sufficiency."

(Minneapolis, MN)—Into the fray of the current debate about helicopter moms versus "Tiger" moms comes a new study results from the Journal of Marriage and Family that say parents who help their young adult children get a good start on life are doing a good thing. Do note that the report does not necessarily reflect the views of BCN :-) Notes the press release:

A new study from the Journal of Marriage and Family shows that contrary to popular anxieties about slacker young adults who refuse to grow up, or indulgent parents who stifle their adult children's development by continuing to support them, there is evidence that parental assistance in early adulthood promotes progress toward autonomy and self-reliance.

Study author Teresa Swartz, "The fact that young people depend so heavily upon their parents well beyond the age when most people from earlier generations had already started families and had dependable jobs has triggered a great deal of public anxiety over whether these trends signal young adult immaturity and stunted development. The larger social trends in delaying family formation may be one reason for the extended dependence upon parents. Today, the road to adulthood is much longer and more arduous than it was thirty years ago."

The researchers collected longitudinal data to examine the conditions under which young adults are more likely to receive financial support for living expenses, or to live in the parental home. Although almost half of the respondents received either money for living expenses or lived with their parents (or both) in their mid-twenties, only 10-15% received financial or housing help when in their early 30s. The likelihood of receiving financial help decreased 15% each year, and the likelihood of living with parents decreased by 18% each year. Swartz, "These results indicate that young people do eventually become independent of parents as they grow older."

Beyond the effects of age, young people were more likely to receive help from their parents if they were students or had encountered recent difficulties such as a job loss, a serious illness, or a divorce. Swartz, "Parental aid serves as 'scaffolding' to help young people who are working towards financial self-sufficiency and as 'safety nets' for those who have experienced serious difficulties. In an economy that requires advanced education for good jobs, parents are more likely to aid their children when they are students. As the labor market offers fewer opportunities for stable, full-time, well-paid work for the young, parents often fill in when needed."

The authors find that parental support tapers as young adult children take on adult roles such as earning higher incomes or forming families, regardless of their age. Lead author Teresa Swartz, "Forming intimate partnerships, in the forms of marriage and cohabitation, appears to signal to parents that their children have moved into adulthood and should now be on their own. Although family formation is largely understood as a 'choice' today and not viewed as essential for achieving adult status, it does appear that parents and/or adult children themselves interpret family formation as an indicator that adult self-sufficiency is appropriate."

The findings provide evidence that families are adaptive and responsive to family members needs and troubles, and that parents are more likely to support adult children, even those who are older, to help them get through hard times and to help them attain self-sufficiency. The instability and rapid pace of change during early adulthood may make young adulthood a particularly vulnerable period necessitating a safety net more frequently than other stages in life.

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

The Briefing: Recounting the Prophetic Markers Leading Up to 'Rededicate 250'

Massive American Flag to be Draped across the Hoover Dam for America's 250th Celebration [Video]

Christian Lifeguard, L.A. County Go to Trial over June Pride Flag Ordinance

Grooming Gang Review Author Warns People in 'Denial' over Role of Race and Religion in Mass Child Sex Abuse

Lenient Judge's 'Intuitions' Fail: Repeat Offender Arrested for ANOTHER Shooting Spree

Joe Biden Sues Trump DOJ to Bar Release of Recordings with Biographer

Prayer Alert: Pam Bondi Diagnosed With Thyroid Cancer Weeks after Departing as Trump's Attorney General: Report

Ken Paxton Wins Texas Senate GOP Runoff

Good News Clubs Win Permanent Injunction Giving Them Equal Access at Oakland Schools

This Christian Mobile Phone Carrier Seeks to Address the 'Spiritual Problem of Lust'

How Christians in Cuba Are Engaged in Civic Resistance against the Current Regime

How Tulsi Gabbard and Others Went the 'Extra Mile' for a Gold Star Widow

Memorial Day Tragedy: Veteran 'Trump House' Owner Dies after Vicious Assault

SCOTUS Case Makes Freight Brokers Responsible For Crashes Caused By Commercial Immigrant Drivers

Trump Says Iran, Other Arab States Should Join Abraham Accords as Part of Peace Deal

Iran War: Battles Heat Up in the Strait of Hormuz and on the Border of Lebanon, as Peace Negotiations Continue

VA Secretary Collins: Memorial Day Is a 'Moment of Reflection'

2,552 Baptized on Florida Beach: 'Jesus Christ Is Still Changing Lives'

YWAM Pioneer Leland Paris Remembered as 'Father in the Faith' after Passing

NASCAR Champion Kyle Busch Dead at Just 41

Steve Shultz, Managing Editor
Founder and Owner

Aimee Herd, Editor