Family relationship patterns and well-being in emerging adulthood

Abstract

The transition to adulthood in Mediterranean countries would be defined as the «Mediterranean model» characterized by a prolonged stay in the family home and giving great relevance to family. The aim of the paper is to analyze the link between family relationship patterns, psychological well-being and psychological distress of emerging adults. The present study involves 1,502 university students (903 women and 599 men) aged between 18 and 29 (Mean: 20.32; SD: 2.13) participating in the Transition to Adulthood in Spain research project (TAE). Participants fulfilled a questionnaire that included socio-demographic variables, Perception of Parents Scale, Psychological control, Behavioural Control, Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWBS) and Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DAS-21). To identify and describe family relationships patterns during emerging adulthood we conducted a cluster analysis. The cluster analytic procedure identified three clusters based on the centrality of five family variables within the family system. The high quality family relationships is the largest group. Moreover, emerging adults who felt more implication, warmth and autonomy support from their parents and felt less control, both psychological and behavioural, were who reported more psychological well-being and less psychological distress. These results highlight how relevant and beneficial is for emerging adults’ emotional well-being the fact that parents promote their autonomy, emotional closeness and close relationship with them. Moreover, it is relevant to continue developing these findings in order to find what the best way to guide the daughters and sons’ behaviour is in this period.