Leaving Home After High School: Links to Adolescents’ Education, Motivation, and Relationship With Parents

Abstract

Despite a trend of young adults delaying home-leaving, many still move out after high school, especially to attend university. Yet, knowledge on the predictors of home-leaving after high school is limited. This pre-registered study examined individual and family factors predicting home-leaving after high school among 333 Turkish adolescents (Mage=17.68 (0.52), 65% female), all living with parents at the study’s start. They were surveyed over two time points 18 months apart between 2017 and 2019. Findings showed that motivation to leave, attending a private high school, and university enrollment were associated with moving out of parental home roughly one year after high school graduation. Among parent-child relationship factors, only paternal autonomy support influenced the likelihood of home-leaving, with higher levels of fathers’ autonomy support linked to living with parents longer. Our findings indicate the multifaceted nature of home-leaving in a family-oriented culture as well as the noteworthy role of fathers’ autonomy support in the transition.