ABSTRACT
The importance of adolescence as a period of transition and in fact as being defined by a series of transitions has led to the testing of models of development around the issues of transition. Pressures to curtail education and adolescence result in entry into adulthood often prior to the individual being adequately prepared to take on the full responsibilities of that role. As with the entry into adolescence as signaled by pubertal development or by school transition, the timing of the transition into adulthood is likely to have an impact on how the transition is experienced and what the long-term effect of the transition ultimately is. Throughout the discussions of the different adolescent transitions from puberty through young adulthood, issues of role change and timing are pervasive. Many factors in the family environment are predictive of adolescent educational and occupational success.
