Parenting Emerging Adults: Impact of Family Influences on Resilience and Mental Health

Within the realm of parenting, there is research about a distinct stage entitled emerging adulthood that encompasses biopsychosocial development between the ages of 18 and 25. The research study seeks to answer the questions: how do current parenting practices influence emerging adult mental health, and what adjustments must be made to improve upon these relationships? Past studies have demonstrated that there is a relationship between the developmental period of emerging adulthood, which is characterized by identity formation itself, and the mental health of both emerging adults and their parents. However, upon reviewing the literature on emerging adulthood, it was revealed that there is a gap in regard to how to parent adult children and foster a positive relationship. While the goal is to explore this gap, the research team is additionally seeking to utilize new information to create a parenting course that promotes positive adjustments to the current relationship between emerging adults and their parents. To explore this, the research team conducted emerging adult surveys, asking participants to analyze their current connection with their parents' practices and the effects they have on their mental health. Additionally, surveys and interviews were done with Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) to bolster the evidence-based methods that this population uses to support emerging adults.