What Drives Young Adults To Return Home To Live With Their Parents?

A US study recently examined what distinguishes the lives of young adults who have returned home to live with their parents.

Whilst it is now considered normal for young adults to return home to live with their parents, the researchers found some factors that increased the likelihood of this happening.

The factors that drive young adults to return home to live with their parents include, but are not limited to:

1. Having been a victim of sexual abuse
2. The presence of brothers and sisters also living with the parents
3. Not having a job
4. Not having a partner
5. Poor health of parents

Attitudes towards young adults returning home to live with their parents have shifted over the last few decades.

In fact, more and more young adults have been living with their parents in the past 15 years. Between 2000 and 2011, the proportion of 25- to 34-year-old US men living with their parents grew from 12.9% to 18.6%. The proportion of young women is smaller, but has also grown, from 8.3% to 9.7%.

The 2007-09 recession saw an increase in the number of young adults living with their parents, though that change does not seem to be related to economic hardship alone. Leaving and returning home is now normal for many young adults.

The research was carried out by Professor Scott South and Lei Lei at the State University of New York at Albany.