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Adolescents in Transition to Adulthood: Parental Support, Relationship Satisfaction, and Post-transition Adjustment

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Abstract

The transition from high school is a pivotal period for intergenerational relations, as the asymmetry characterizing pre-transition relations with parents is reconfigured. Changes in adolescent–parent relations across this transition have potentially important implications for post-transition adjustment. A prospective study was conducted with an ethnically diverse sample that included adolescents who were not college-bound. Maternal, but not paternal, relations improved across the transition from high school to adult life. Changes in support from both mothers and fathers were associated with changes in relationship satisfaction and changes in satisfaction predicted post-transition adjustment. The results verify the importance of parental support to the quality of relational bonds between young adults and their parents. They also affirm the significance of these bonds for post-transition adjustment.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, the William T. Grant Foundation, and the American Psychological Association. The research is based, in part, on a dissertation submitted by Marcia Silver to the Department of Psychology, Florida International University. We wish to thank the project participants and all of the graduate and undergraduate assistants affiliated with the Social Transition Project research group. In particular, we thank Renyale Cotton, Edel Miedes, Lois Perdue, and Maryanne Stooksbury for the many hours they devoted to the project, and Jonathan Lane and Eugenia Perez for their helpful comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Florida International University, 3000 NE 151 St., North Miami, FL, 33181, USA

    Mary J. Levitt & Jennifer D. Santos

  2. Department of Psychology, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA

    Marcia E. Silver

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  1. Mary J. Levitt
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  2. Marcia E. Silver
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  3. Jennifer D. Santos
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Correspondence to Mary J. Levitt.

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Levitt, M.J., Silver, M.E. & Santos, J.D. Adolescents in Transition to Adulthood: Parental Support, Relationship Satisfaction, and Post-transition Adjustment. J Adult Dev 14, 53–63 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-007-9032-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-007-9032-5

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