Tara McManus (Communication Studies) published the peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Marriage and Family Review.
The cross-section survey of emerging adult children suggests parents can be reassured that the support they provide cannot decrease the emerging adults’ relational satisfaction with them. Emerging adults who have lower communication competence, however, should be urged to initiate stressor conversations with parents and encourage parents to provide the specific type of support they want (e.g., “I need advice,” “I want to know that you’ll be here for me if this doesn’t work out well.”). Further, if the stressor is something the parent and emerging adult do not both experience, emerging adults should discuss the stressor with the parent who has the most similar level of communication competence.
