Immigrant Generations in Home Leaving: Do Parents and Peers Matter?

Abstract

Home leaving is a normative behavior for young adults in the US, likely shaped by peers and parents in adolescence. However, immigrant parents are less supportive of home leaving. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N= 4,882), this study investigated whether these social supports matters in home leaving across immigrant generations. Findings suggest that later generations are more likely to leave home. Little difference was detected between first- and second-generation when considering the social supports, thus the influence of peers and parents does not appear to explain generational differences in home leaving.