Whereabouts and Secrets: A Person-Centered Approach to Emerging Adults' Routine and Self-Disclosure to Parents. Issue 2 (April 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Son, Daye; Padilla-Walker, Laura M.
• Is Part Of: Emerging adulthood. Volume 9:Issue 2(2021)
• Page Start: 145
• Page End: 157
• Publication Date: 2021-04
• Subjects: child disclosure -- self-disclosure -- routine disclosure -- parent–child relationship -- emerging adulthood; Young adults -- Periodicals; Adolescence -- Periodicals; Teenagers -- Periodicals; Adolescent psychology -- Periodicals; 305
• DOI: 10.1177/2167696819842718
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2167-6968

Abstract

The current study examined heterogeneity in emerging adult children's routine and self-disclosure to parents using mixture modeling and explored predictors and outcomes associated with the patterns of disclosure. Participants consisted of 449 emerging adults (49% male, 68% European American, 65% college students, 33% single-parent families) who completed questionnaires every year across three waves ( M age at Time 1 = 18.4 years). Latent profile analyses suggested that large groups of emerging adults reported moderate levels of routine disclosure and low levels of self-disclosure to both mothers (79%) and fathers (36%), while other groups (20%) reported high levels of routine and self-disclosure to both parents. Profile membership was associated with predictors (parental autonomy granting, self-disclosure to friend, gender, family structure, college attendance) at Time 1 and outcomes (delinquency, depression, and prosocial behavior) at Time 3. Implications regarding the continued parent–child relationship and disclosure to parents in the third decade of life are discussed.