Moving Back to the Parental Home in Times of COVID-19: Consequences for Students’ Life Satisfaction

Abstract

Residential independence from parents is a key marker for young adults’ transition to adulthood. Losing this independence by returning to the parental home marks a regression of adult development with negative implications for returnees’ subjective wellbeing. This paper investigates how a return to the parental home during the COVID-19 pandemic affects the life satisfaction of university students. We used nationwide survey data from German university students (N = 913) to analyze differences in life satisfaction for those who did or did not return to their parental homes. Our results revealed two main findings. First, university students who moved back to their parental home reported significantly lower life satisfaction than those who remained living independently. Second, the association between moving back and life satisfaction varied by age. A return to the parental home was more detrimental to older students’ life satisfaction, while students aged 24 or younger did not experience a significant decrease when moving back to the parental home. We discuss the implications of our findings in the context of young adults’ subjective wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A systematic review of pre-pandemic resilience factors and mental health outcomes in adolescents and young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in increased time spent at home for many adolescents due to school closures and restrictions, whilst similarly prompting many young adults to return to their parents' home (Prattley et al, 2023;Preetz et al, 2022). In this context, it is perhaps unsurprising that our review highlights family-level resilience factors as the most promising in mitigating pandemic-related mental health effects (Afriat et al, 2023;Bussone et al, 2023;Song et al, 2022;Wiedemann et al, 2022;Wong et al, 2022).…”

Understanding University Students' Perspectives towards Digital Tools for Mental Health Support: A Cross-country Study

“…Moreover, students from the UK could have a broader experience of mental health and related interventions due to national strategies for promoting university-based groups that lead conversation, culture change, and advocacy throughout campuses [ 43 , 86 - 88 ]. Conversely, students based in Italy, except international and non-resident students, usually live with their parents [ 89 , 90 ], thus experiencing both pros and cons of their living arrangements [ 91 , 92 ]. It is possible this results in a more limited university social life experience and fewer peer group interactions than what is offered by a campus-based life, which may lead to a decreased opportunity to address mental health issues in the university setting.…”

Residential Move During COVID-19 Pandemic and Psychological Health Among College Students: The Role of Perceived Social Support

“…Some students potentially returned to (or remained in) problematic or unsafe home situations while living under restrictive quarantine conditions (Hall & Zygmunt, 2021;The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice, 2021). Compared to students who maintained independent living, German university students who returned to their parental home during the COVID-19 pandemic reported significantly lower life satisfaction (Preetz et al, 2022). Returning to the parental home could also heighten relationship tension among family members and lead to reduced autonomy (Hall & Zygmunt, 2021).…”