London - Leaving home has always been an important milestone in a person’s life and a sign that an individual has entered adulthood.
But now a new life stage called “emerging adulthood” has been coined overseas to cope with the trend for young people flying the nest later in life.
The reasons for “emerging adults” staying at home includes a diminishing number of jobs, expensive housing and an increasing need for extended studies, but scientists believe the phenomenon means people in their twenties are experiencing an extended period of youth.
Just over 42 percent of adults aged 20 to 29 still lived with their parents in 2011, according to a census from Statistics Canada, compared to 32 percent 10 years earlier and 27 percent in 1981.
People in their early twenties are now labelled as millennials who are experiencing “emerging adulthood” – a new life stage that has not affected previous generations, Science Daily reported.
Research by Concordia’s Department of Applied Human Sciences in Montreal, Canada, said that moving out can constitute a “crisis” for young adults and that friends and family play different roles.
The young adults who had already left home said their parents played an integral role to their successful move as they provided pragmatic help as well as emotional support and a financial safety net.
Professor Varda Mann-Feder, at the university and author of the study in the Canadian Journal of Family and Youth, conducted interviews with 32 “emerging adults” who had left home, or were planning to fly the nest.
However, she stressed that friends were just as important to a successful outcome as participants in the study revealed they preferred asking their friends for tips in living autonomously, rather than their parents.
“Emerging adults” still living at home were “extremely influenced” by friends and family in relation to their thoughts about leaving home, the study said.
Individuals hoping to move out unsurprisingly talked to their friends who had already made the big move about going it alone and whether it is a good idea.
Parents were reassured by the ability of their children to tap into these sources of information and thought it helped prevent their offspring making mistakes.
Professor Mann Felder said: “This study shows peers continue to play a critical role in development after the teenage years.
“They provide unique input not available from parents or romantic partners,” she added. – Daily Mail