Type
Summary
An adolescent leaving home is a normative loss for parents but one thar' remains ambiguous since the adolescent continues
to come and go. Seventy rural and urban mid-life couples were studied with responses from both fathers and mothers.
The major hypothesis is that the more parents perceive their adolescent cls psychologically present in spite of physical
absence, the more parents will experience dysfunction. Differences between rural and urban couples were few, but gender differences
appeared salient. Professionals may too easily accept the assumption that fathers are not bothered when their
children leave home. This preliminary study has clarified hypotheses for further testing.
Citation
Boss, P., Pearce-McCall, D., & Greenberg, J. (1987). Normative loss in mid-life families: Rural, urban, and gender differences. Family Relations, 437-443.