ABSTRACT
Nowadays adolescence is considered a “joint developmental enterprise” between parents and offspring which involves all family members and is characterized by transformation and continuity. Adolescence is a long period whose end is not a “jump” to adulthood but rather involves a new developmental phase called young adulthood. The aim of this study is to verify through a cross sectional study how the parent-child dyad and the whole family modify their relationships from adolescence to young adulthood. The sample is composed of 325 intact families with children aged between 11 and 24. In order to analyze how the distance between parents and child varies according to child’s age, a congruence score based on distance measure was calculated. Our results indicated that late adolescence is a critical phase for the whole family. Young adulthood was characterized by a realignment in the relationships.
