Moving back into the parental home as an adult was once seen by many youngsters as a retrograde step and even something to be ashamed of. Now, a new study suggests that such a move actually improves the mental health of these “boomerang adults”, thanks in no small part to a stressful and increasingly expensive rental market.
The findings of of the first study in the UK to look at the mental health impact of moving home on the adult children surprised demographers at the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER), who were expecting to find it had the opposite effect on wellbeing.
Past research has found that parents experience a dip in mental health when their adult children return to live at the family home.
But the new study by ISER, part of the University of Essex, found that for their children it was associated with an improvement in mental health scores – despite losing independence.
“We expected that probably their mental health would get worse if they had to give up their independence and that they might feel that they were falling behind their peer group and going back might seem retrograde,” said professor of population science Emily Grundy, who co-authored the study with Dr Jiawei Wu. “So we were quite surprised to find that on the contrary their mental health seemed to improve.”
While previously moving out of the family home and living independently was seen by many as a mark of adulthood, the research shows how these signifiers are changing.
“The whole process of things that we think are important of transition to adulthood have rather shifted,” said Grundy. As well as rental costs, other factors she points to affecting young adults leaving home include people staying in education longer, getting partners and becoming parents later.
Nearly 5 million adults live with their parents, according to the 2021 UK census, a 14.7% increase on 2011.
‘Boomerang’ Moves and Young Adults’ Mental Well-being in the United Kingdom, published in Advances in Life Course Research, suggests that the so-called “boomerang generation” may find parental support beneficial – especially if it enables them to escape the stress of the private rental sector.
Between 2009 and 2020, it found, 15% of the 9,714 British adults aged between 21 and 35 they studied moved back in with their parents at least once.
The more liberal attitudes of parents could also play a role, said Grundy. “At one time people had to leave home if they wanted to have boyfriends or girlfriends, whereas parents may now be less restrictive about what their children can do.”
The potential implications of more adults moving in with their parents include multi-generational mortgages, such as those pioneered in Japan and greater differences between generations.
“They used to say ‘life begins at 40’ and the idea of that was that your children were independent by then,” said Grundy. “Whereas now, a lot of 40-year-olds have actually got quite young children.
“It also means that the spacing of generations has got much more variable and there may be some people whose children come back and other people who have still got children at nursery, the whole stages of life we maybe need to have a less rigid view about.”
But there are huge inequalities, she warned. “We looked at the people who returned home and changes in their mental health, but there are other people who perhaps can’t return home because their parents haven’t got the resources or space.”
Shelter said at least two in five 25-34-year-olds say that rising living costs have increased their fear of becoming homeless and almost half say that worries over rent is making them anxious or depressed.
Polly Neate, the housing charity’s chief executive, condemned the “chronic lack of decent affordable social homes” which she said is a “source of anxiety and depression for millions”. But she warned families should not be left to “fill the gap”, which can lead to overcrowding and even exacerbate homelessness.
“While moving in with your family and exiting the wild west of private renting may improve younger people’s mental health, it’s not a solution to the housing emergency. Not everyone has a family who can take them in, others need to move for work, or they may want to start a family of their own,” she said.
“Having more people under one roof, especially in overcrowded homes, adds extra pressure – in fact no longer being able to stay with family is a leading cause of homelessness.”
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Generation Rent said renting in an increasingly unaffordable and competitive private rental market can have a “devastating impact” on mental health.
“Some have developed anxiety, depression or even PTSD from their experiences,” said Tilly Smith, the campaign’s campaigns and partnerships officer. “The constant threat of an unexpected and unfair eviction notice coming through the mail at any time creates a sense of fear amongst many private tenants.”
Case study: I’m sure I prefer my parents to strangers… luckily they have the space
The first time Ella Clarke moved out of her parents’ home was to go to university aged 18. Since then, the 27-year-old has moved back home three times – first after graduation, then during the pandemic and just over a year ago.
In November 2021, after nine months renting in London, she decided she was better off living rent-free with her parents Tim and Louise – even if she can feel she is reverting back to being a teenager.
“Now I’m waiting to earn enough to live by myself. because rent is so high it’s not really worth it,” said Clarke, who has started an upholstery and curtain business. “I’m lucky my parents have the space for me to live and work.”
In Colchester, where they live, renting a good quality one-bed flat would cost her around £750 a month, she said, and a flat share doesn’t appeal. “I’m sure I prefer my parents to strangers.”
She does worry about how long it will be until she can afford to move out. “As much as I’m happy and save money, I would very much like to have my own place.”
While she said the rising cost of living has a lot to do with changing generational priorities, there is also a stronger focus on career satisfaction. “A lot of people are sacrificing the traditional things of moving out and having their own house and a nice car in favour of following their passion.”
Her parents are happy with the arrangement, she said, but it helps that her older brother lives in Australia and that she is working towards a clear aim. “I’m sure if I’m here in 10 years’ time they might start asking some questions.”
