Parental Assistance For Adult Children Promotes Autonomy

There is evidence that parental assistance for children who are young adults promotes progress toward autonomy and self-reliance, U.S. researchers say.

Study author Teresa Swartz and colleagues collected 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.

Almost half of the respondents received either money for living expenses or lived with their parents, or both, in their mid-20s. However, only 10 percent to 15 percent received financial or housing help when in their early 30s, Swartz says.

The likelihood of receiving financial help decreased 15 percent each year, and the likelihood of living with parents decreased by 18 percent each year, Swartz says.

"These results indicate that young people do eventually become independent of parents as they grow older," she says.

Parental aid serves as "scaffolding" to help prop up adult children who are working toward financial self-sufficiency and as "safety nets" for those who have experienced serious difficulties, Swartz says.

The findings are published in the Journal of Marriage and Family.