High School to College: the Influence of Parent-Child Relations

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High School to College: The Influence on Parent Child Relations The transition to college for young adults can serve as an important turning point in relationships between children and their parents. Going from seeing each other every day to seeing each other only a couple times a year can be a tough transition for all parties involved. We hope to add meaningful information to the already formed research on communication between parents and their adult children. While research has already looked at the relationship after adult children have moved out of their parents homes, how the early relationship effects the adult relationship, and how the relationship affects the overall success of children at college, we want to examine how these relationship changes happen. With the number of people attending college growing, it is important for us as communication scholars to know how families are experiencing these changes as to help future people through this drastic transition. Literature Review According to Golish (2000) the transition into young adulthood can serve as a catalyst for positive or negative relationships between parents and children. Increased closeness between parents and their children is due to the fact that college is a time when children become more mature and move closer to becoming an adult. (Thornton et al, 1995) As young adults move into performing adult roles they are better able to relate to their parents, this ultimately strengthens their relationship. There is also a reported increased level of respect, understanding, etc. towards one another due to the fact that child and parent can better relate. (Thornton et al, 1995 IN Aqulino, 1997) Increase in closeness can also be attributed to the fact that once children are no longer living with their parents they are treated less like children and more like adults. (Golish, 2000 IN Aquilino,

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