Journal Article

Safety Nets and Scaffolds: Parental Support in the Transition to Adulthood

O'Brien, Kirsten Bengtson, Mortimer, Jeylan, Uno, Mayumi, Kim, Minzee, Swartz, Teresa Toguchi

2011

Overview

Using longitudinal data from the Youth Development Study (analytic sample N = 712), we investigate how age, adult role acquisition and attainments, family resources, parent—child relationship quality, school attendance, and life events influence support received from parents in young adulthood. Parental assistance was found to be less forthcoming for those who had made greater progress on the road to adulthood, signified by socioeconomic attainment and union formation. The quality of mother—child and father—child relationships affected parental support in different ways, positively for mothers, negatively for fathers. School enrollment, negative life events, and employment problems were associated with a greater likelihood of receiving support. The findings suggest that parents act as \"scaffolding' and \"safety nets\" to aid their children's successful transition to adulthood.

• Publisher: Blackwell Publishing Ltd,Wiley Subscription Services,Wiley-Blackwell,Wiley
• Subject: Adjustment (to Environment) / Adolescent development / Adolescents / Adult children / Adulthood / Adults / Age / Attainment / Attendance / Child Rearing / Children / Cultural Capital / Cultural Differences / Developmental Studies Programs / Economic models / Employment / Employment Problems / Enrollment / Enrollments / Family (Sociological Unit) / Family relations / Family resources / Family Roles / Family school relationship / Family Support / Fathers / Housing / Human Capital / Individual Development / Influence / intergenerational transfers / Interpersonal Relations / Life events / Life Stage Transitions / Life transitions / longitudinal / Longitudinal Studies / Mothers / Negative events / Negative life events / Parent Child Relationship / Parent Influence / Parent Role / Parent-child relations / Parents / Parents & parenting / Personal development / Personal relationships / Quality / Role playing / Safety / Scaffolding (Teaching Technique) / School Attendance / Sexuality. Marriage. Family relations / Social Characteristics / Social Class / Social development / Social Influences / Social Science Research / Social support / Sociology / Sociology of the family. Age groups / transition to adulthood / Transitions / Unemployment / Unionization / Unions / Working mothers / Young adults / Youth