Waiting for your grown-up children to fly the nest? When one goes, the others will too, study finds
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Waiting for your adult children to fly out of the nest? If one goes, the others go too, study finds
- It’s good news for beleaguered parents waiting for their kids to fly out of the nest
- If one child is packing to leave the house, the other may be close behind
It’s good news for beleaguered parents waiting for their kids to fly out of the nest — when one kid packs his things to leave the house, the other may be hot on his heels.
That’s the case when the kids are both introverted, or at least both extroverted, a study of families in the UK found.
Siblings who share this personality type can be closer and so one is more likely to “pave the way” for the other to move out.
Researchers looked at 28 years of UK household surveys, involving more than 3,700 young people, to assess the link between one sibling leaving home and another following suit.
The surveys gave people 15 questions to rate their personality, for example asking them to what extent they saw themselves as outgoing and sociable.
It’s good news for beleaguered parents waiting for their kids to fly out of the nest. When one child is packing to leave the house, the other may be hot on his heels (stock image)
The results show that siblings whose answers indicated that they were both extroverted or both introverted were more likely to follow the other when they left the house.
The study’s authors, from the University of Antwerp, conclude: ‘This implies that while introverted adolescents and emerging adults may take less initiative with regard to social relationships and be more hesitant in their transition to adulthood, when a similarly introverted sibling is so’ makes a transition, they are more inclined to do so.’
The process of adults leaving home has slowed since the 1970s, leading to a “delayed transition” to adulthood and more years spent in the family home, the researchers note.
Adults still living at home may have poorer well-being and feel treated like children, but their parents are more likely to feel financially and emotionally burdened.
The study, published in the journal PLOS One, looked at adult children under the age of 29.
Those of divorced or divorced parents were more likely to leave the parental home, as were women and children who were in a relationship or employed.
When two siblings were both introverted, one was more likely to follow the other when moving, compared to when they were both extroverted.
When two siblings were both introverted, one was more likely to follow the other when moving, compared to when they were both extroverted (stock image)
When two siblings were mismatched introverts and extroverts at home, the study found that one person was more likely to leave, suggesting they were “annoyed” at having to put up with the other person under the same roof.
Siblings can be seen as role models for each other, the authors say, and people who are similar in personality tend to be closer.
Having lived under the same roof for many years, siblings can have a stronger influence on each other’s transition to adulthood than friends.
The study results may illustrate the “paving-the-way hypothesis,” according to the study, which states that “siblings moving into a new chapter pave the way for those who follow.”
There is some evidence from separate research that same-age siblings are more likely to influence each other when leaving home.
Previous studies have shown that people who stay at home longer with their parents tend to be less mature and have fewer ‘developmental tasks’, such as starting a career.
But adult children often argue with high rents and mortgages that leave them no choice but to stay at home longer.