More young people are living with their parents into adulthood, and it's not good for their mental health

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-11-30 06:00

Australia; VIC

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The rate of young adults who are living with their parents into their adulthood has increased by about 18% in the past 20 years and this is associated with poorer mental health, according to Australian researchers. The team used a large Australian housing, income and work database to look at the amount and types of young people staying with their parents. They say the amount of young people staying at home has increased most sharply among those outside major cities, older adults, women and low-income groups. The researchers say living with parents was associated with poorer mental health, but this association differed depending on the young person, with those aged 18-21 likely to have better mental health if they still lived at home. The association between living with parents and poorer mental health was strongest among the groups who had seen the highest increase in living at home over the study period, the researchers say.