Patterns of Home Leaving and Subjective Well-Being in Emerging Adulthood: The Role of Motivational Processes and Parental Autonomy Support

In Western, postindustrial societies, the timing of home leaving is increasingly delayed. The diversity of home-leaving patterns, resulting from this evolution, has not yet been systematically studied from a psychological perspective. In this study, the authors aimed to examine how emerging adults ’ living arrangements—and the motives underlying those arrangements, as conceptualized in self-determination theory—relate to subjective well-being. A Belgian sample of 224 emerging adults and their parents completed self-report questionnaires. Analyses that used structural equation modeling showed that autonomous motivation for one’s living arrangement is more strongly related to emerging adults’ well-being than the living arrangement per se. Further, autonomy-supportive parenting was found to relate positively to an autonomously regulated residential status. Implications for the meaning and development of autonomy during emerging adulthood are discussed