Young adulthood is a time of important transitions, e.g., leaving the parental home, entering into the labour market, engaging in a stable partnership and eventually becoming a parent. Success in mastering these transitions both affects and depends on the relationship with parents as they serve as a „safety net”, providing financial and emotional support. On the other hand, the broader societal context plays a role, too: welfare states, labour markets and cultural norms shape opportunities, constraints and frames of reference for both the life course and family relationships. Comparative research points at european differences in the transition to adulthood as well as intergenerational solidarity. Especially for Italy, pronounced levels of intergenerational cohesion are reported. Nevertheless, regional disparities within one country should not be underestimated. The „special case“ of Switzerland with its language and cultural diversity and 26 autonomous cantons is a well-suited example for adapting cross-national analysis to a sub-national level.

This contribution analyses intergenerational ties of young adults with a special focus on the regional context. Several questions are addressed. Firstly, are there regional differences in transitioning to adulthood and can one find disparities in intergenerational cohesion? Secondly, which regional characteristics account for such regional differences? The multivariate analyses draw on the TREE panel (“Transitions from Education to Employment”). The results show marked disparities between Italian speaking and the rest of Switzerland, both in terms of transitioning into adulthood and intergenerational cohesion. The multilevel analyses confirm the significance of welfare policy and labour market.

The central question of this paper is to what extent the history of affection and support in adolescence determines the future of the mother-child relationship in adulthood. Do early family interactions shape adult intergenerational relationships? How do life course transitions, critical life events, and opportunity structures predict different types of relationships in adulthood?

The paper draws on data from a German longitudinal study that covers several decades of family development. It was first conducted in the 1980ies with adolescents aged 12 to 16. In 2002, it was resumed, when participants were 35 years of age. The sample consists of 858 participants. They reported on parenting practices, relationship quality, critical life events, and on role transitions in adolescence and adulthood.

To identify different types of mother-adult child relationships, a cluster analysis was conducted. The procedure yielded five categories that were consistent with previous research. A multinomial logistic regression was performed to estimate the probability of belonging to one type of relationship.

Results demonstrate that early family interactions predict relationship quality and relationship structure in later life. Harmonious mother-child relations in adolescence are less likely to become “distant” and “detached” when children are grown up, for example. However, the predictive power of early relationship experiences is only moderate. Analyses reveal that intergenerational relations are subject to constant change due to critical life events, changing life situations, and the needs of both generations. In general, women’s intergenerational relations seem to be characterized more frequently by closeness and ambivalence than men’s relations.

Intergenerational Solidarity and Parenting styles are both models which have a long and strong theoretical and empirical tradition in Sociology and Psychology. Nevertheless, the contributions of both are rarely considered together in order to clarify the relationship between parents and adult children. The empirical study of the relationship between them becomes increasingly relevant given the social and demographic changes associated with population aging, the postponement and evolution of the meaning of the transition to adulthood and the role of parenting. This study aims to observe the extent to which the perception of parenting styles prevailing in the family of origin, as well as the age and parental status, influence intergenerational exchanges of support and the current and anticipated educational styles adopted by adult children. Data was collected online through the Parenting Styles Questionnaire (Robinson, Mandleco, Olsen and Hart, 1995; Santos & Cruz, 2008) and Intergenerational Solidarity Scale (Bengtson and Roberts, 1991; Monteiro, 2010). The sample comprised 701 participants of both genders, ages from 18 to 69 years (M = 37, SD = 11), with (48.9%) and without children (51.1%). Different clusters of parenting styles were identified. Differences were observed according to those clusters and to the age and parental status of adult children on intergenerational solidarity and adopted parenting styles. Parenting styles of the family of origin are significant predictors, although low, of adopted parenting styles by adult children.