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With material culled from the 18 th annual National Symposium on Family Issues this volume addresses topics related to the family of origin as well as the new and highly variable types of family formation experiences that occur in contemporary early adulthood.

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Early Adulthood in a Family Context , based on the 18 th annual National Symposium on Family Issues, emphasizes the importance of both the family of origin and new and highly variable types of family formation experiences that occur in early adulthood. This volume showcases new theoretical, methodological, and measurement insights in hopes of advancing understanding of the influence of the family of origin on young adults´ lives. Both family resources and constraints with respect to economic, social, and human capital are considered.

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I. The contemporary context of young adulthood. The contemporary context of young adulthood in the United States: From demography to development, from private troubles to public issues.-Transition to adulthood, parental support, and early adult well-being: Recent findings from the Youth Development Study.-"First principles": Components, holism, and context of the transition to adulthood.-Young adults in a wireless world.- II. Parent-child relationships that facilitate successful transitions.-Relationships between young adults and their parents.-The implications of family context for the transition to adulthood.-Child well-being and the long reach of family relationships.-Young adults´ "need": In the eye of the beholder?-III. Romantic and sexual relationships.-Developmental shifts in the character of romantic and sexual relationships from adolescence to young adulthood.-Challenges in charting the course of romantic relationships in adolescence and emerging adulthood.-I just want your kiss? Sexual relationships in young adulthood.-IV. Family contexts and timing of fertility.-Becoming a Parent: The Social Contexts of Fertility During Young Adulthood.-Childbearing among cohabiting women: Race, pregnancy, and union transitions.-Understanding young fertility in the context of economic disadvantage.-V. The study of young adulthood.-New horizons in research on emerging and young adulthood.-The role of family context in early adulthood: Where we´ve been and where we´re going

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From the reviews:

"The book is based on papers presented at the 18th Annual Symposium on Family Issues in October 2011. ... each part of the book is a coherent piece and with each chapter the reader gets a wider or more detailed picture of the discussed topic. ... book offers valuable insight into how adolescents become adults and into how family is crucial in this process. ... may inform and enlighten our thinking not only about youth transition to adulthood, but also about fertility and family dynamics." (Monika Mynarska, European Journal of Population, Vol. 28, 2012)

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