Parenting of Adult Children: A Neglected Area of Parenting Studies

Abstract

The parent and adult child relationship is a particularly strong and unique form of social interaction. Over the course of the lifespan the relationship transitions through a number of stages; from the dependent nature of parent–infant and parent–child relating, evolving into greater child independence of the parent–teenager and parent–adult child relationships. As such, the involvement and dynamics of parenting shift quite remarkably. The quality of the relationship between parent and adult children can significantly influence the child throughout adulthood, and determines the parent’s own well-being in their late-life. Despite the many positives from the relationship, there are also difficulties with managing the ongoing dependence–independence parenting dynamics and thus tension and conflict can occur. There are several forms of support to help parents with difficulties that can emerge with the relationship with adult children, with some evidence-based parenting interventions showing benefits. A number of recommendations are provided to advance research and practice for the parent and adult child relationship including intervention modules that directly target the interactions between parent and adult child, collecting long-term data, and the inclusion of compassion-focused modules to help continued social interactions, reduce conflict and improve relationship connectedness.