Motivation to Leave Home during the Transition to Emerging Adulthood among Turkish Adolescents

Abstract

Although the age of leaving home has increased during the past few decades, senior year in high school remains a significant period during which many adolescents consider moving out, especially to attend university. However, the role of personal, practical and familial factors on adolescents’ motivation to leave home prior to the actual transition are still unknown. The current study investigated adolescents’ motivation to leave home while they still lived with their parents and its association with adolescent-reported personal and practical circumstances, and parent–child relationship quality. Participants were 558 Turkish senior high school students (62% female), all living with their parents in Istanbul, Turkey. Results showed that just above one third of the adolescents (38%) wanted to leave home after high school. Boys, adolescents from high SES and nonintact families were more likely to be motivated to leave home. Satisfaction with living situation, parental support for home-leaving, and importance of practical and personal circumstances influenced adolescents’ motivation to leave home. The adolescent-mother relationship was differently related to adolescents’ motivation compared to the adolescent-father relationship. Conflict with both parents, but only fathers’ warmth was associated with motivation to leave home above and beyond all practical and personal circumstances.