Well-Being and the Child–Parent Relationship at the Transition From University to Work Life

Abstract

This longitudinal study addresses the impact of the transition from university to work life on emerging adults' well-being and their relationship with their parents. A sample of 102 German students attending their last year at the university ( M = 25.44 years, SD = 2.61) completed a questionnaire. Among others, scales from the Network of Relationships Inventory and symptom checklists were administered. Four years later, 51 employed participants of the initial sample were contacted again. During the transition from university to work life, well-being and the relationship with their parents improved. Following a typological approach, two groups of emerging adults were revealed by means of cluster analyses. Well-being in one group increased, whereas well-being in the second group decreased. Group membership was predicted by sex, personality, and the child–parent relationship in university times.