Family support among young adults: The role of childhood maltreatment

Background

Success in young adulthood marked by independence and exploration is not universal. Parentification, when young people acquire adult roles before they are developmentally ready, and family support patterns suggest potential differences based on childhood maltreatment history hence widening inequalities.

Objective

This study aimed to describe family-of-origin support patterns among young adults with various levels of exposure to child maltreatment and child protective services (CPS).

Participants & setting

The study leveraged Year 22 data of the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing dataset; a national, longitudinal, birth-cohort study of U.S. children born in 1998–2000.

Methods

We used bivariate statistics and logistic regressions to examine maltreatment exposure, socioeconomic conditions, and family-of-origin relationships.

Results

Those with out-of-home care and CPS contact without out-of-home care had lower odds of contact and feeling “extra” close to their caregiver compared to those without reported maltreatment, and those with out-of-home care had lower odds of receiving financial support from family for bills (OR = 0.62, 95 % CI [0.42, 0.92]). Those with out-of-home care had higher odds of providing dependent care to family members (OR = 1.67, 95 % CI [1.02, 2.72]); and those with CPS contact only had higher odds of supporting family members financially (OR = 1.79, 95 % CI [1.29, 2.47]).

Conclusion

Findings suggest the importance of public support programs to assist those with maltreatment histories susceptible to the absence of parental support and additional demands of support provision. Understanding young adult-parent relationships within the context of childhood maltreatment is critical to promote well-being.