Date of Conferral

2019

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Monny Sklov

Abstract

As of 2015, over 34% of emerging adults in the United States between 18 and 34-years-old were still living with their parents or guardians, and prior research has suggested this trend was steadily growing. The current study examined contextual factors, such as an individual's state of well-being during this transitional phase, to determine what, if any, variables may also be contributing to this issue. Both Adlerian theory and social exchange theory were used as the theoretical foundation to better understand how to mitigate this phenomenon. Amazon MTURK was used to recruit 336 participants who completed the survey. A series of MANOVAs and chi-square analyses were used to test for the relationship between the failure to launch phenomenon, wellness, and moderating effects of mentorship in this study. The results showed a significant, although weak, relationship between financial dependence and wellness factors of coping self (p = 0.034) and social self (p = 0.026). The presence of and frequency of contact with mentors significantly predicted successful launching (p = 0.001). Mentorship was not found to be related to wellness factors nor did it moderate the relationship between such factors and failure to launch. The findings implied mentorship was a potential mitigating factor to the failure to launch phenomenon. The positive implications include personal, familial, and societal growth for this population as they successfully transition to independent adulthood.

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