Patterns of home leaving and subjective well-being in emerging adulthood: the role of motivational processes and parental autonomy support

Dev Psychol. 2009 Sep;45(5):1416-29. doi: 10.1037/a0015580.

Abstract

In Western, postindustrial societies, the timing of home leaving is increasingly delayed. The diversity of home-leaving patterns, resulting from this evolution, has not yet been systematically studied from a psychological perspective. In this study, the authors aimed to examine how emerging adults' living arrangements-and the motives underlying those arrangements, as conceptualized in self-determination theory-relate to subjective well-being. A Belgian sample of 224 emerging adults and their parents completed self-report questionnaires. Analyses that used structural equation modeling showed that autonomous motivation for one's living arrangement is more strongly related to emerging adults' well-being than the living arrangement per se. Further, autonomy-supportive parenting was found to relate positively to an autonomously regulated residential status. Implications for the meaning and development of autonomy during emerging adulthood are discussed.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Psychological / physiology*
  • Belgium
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Models, Psychological
  • Motivation*
  • Parent-Child Relations*
  • Parenting / psychology
  • Personal Autonomy*
  • Personal Satisfaction*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Self Concept
  • Statistics as Topic
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Young Adult