A Quantitative Analysis of Previously Launched Adults: A Family Structure and Family Development Perspective

Demetrea Farris, University of West Alabama

Young adults are moving back into their family homes and are often referred to as “previously launched adults” and “incompletely launched adults.” I use data from Wave 3 of the National Survey of Families and Households to analyze the relationship between family development variables and launching status of young adults. This project uses the dependent variable “launching status” of either previously launched or failure to launch. I undertake multinomial logistic regression with the dependent variable “launching status.” The analysis uses family development and family structure variables and introduces control variables into the models. I include a descriptive analysis of the 2009 American Community Survey to describe current trends of adult child and parent coresidence. The major contribution of this research is that it differentiates between those who have never left the family home and those who left and returned. This is the first study, to my knowledge, to do so.