Abstract
This chapter addresses the diversity of the transition to adulthood and the significance of this variation for early adult well-being; the circumstances and consequences of parental support during this period; psychological vulnerability during the transition to adulthood; and finally, institutional changes to facilitate youth’s transition from school to work. Recent findings are reported from the Youth Development Study, a longitudinal prospective study of a community sample of 9th graders, followed through their mid-thirties. These findings suggest that pathways of transition to adulthood that reflect the timing and sequencing of role configurations marking adult status influence both health and socioeconomic attainment; that parental financial and residential support provides critical scaffolds and safety nets as youth navigate the increasingly prolonged transition to adulthood; and that unemployment, and the ensuing financial dependence it brings, can threaten youth’s self-efficacy. The considerable work-related difficulties faced by young people who start, but do not finish, college indicates the need for both greater support to help students complete 4-year college degrees and the upgrading of community college and vocational certification programs to encourage more youth to enter these institutions and obtain these alternative credentials.
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Mortimer, J.T. (2012). Transition to Adulthood, Parental Support, and Early Adult Well-Being: Recent Findings from the Youth Development Study. In: Booth, A., Brown, S., Landale, N., Manning, W., McHale, S. (eds) Early Adulthood in a Family Context. National Symposium on Family Issues, vol 2. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1436-0_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1436-0_2
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