Positive Development and Parenting in the Face of Adversity: A Survey of Emerging Adults

Adverse childhood experiences may hinder young people from developing the positive traits and abilities they need to successfully navigate life. While parenting has been shown to support this development, its protective influence in the context of adversity is yet to be explored. This paper investigates the associations between emerging adults’ positive development and single and/or multiple experiences of adversity, and if parenting moderates those associations. Data from a new cross-sectional quantitative survey (n = 693; 28.2% male; aged 18–25 years) were used to measure positive development at age 18–25, adversities experienced up to age 18 (maltreatment, parental separation, and household substance use problems, mental health conditions, incarceration and domestic violence), and parenting received at age 15 (connectedness, hostility, and monitoring). Moderated multivariate logistic regressions indicated that respondents were at increased risk for low positive development if they had experienced cumulative adversity or lower monitoring. A significant interaction and visualised trends indicate that a higher level of hostility was associated with increased risk for low positive development only in respondents with no reported ACEs. The results indicate that young people who experience multiple types of adversity, parental hostility, and/or a lack of monitoring, may be less likely to develop the skills and attributes required to successfully tackle the challenges of life. Further investigation is warranted to tease out the multi-faceted relationships between these constructs and identify how and why adversity and parenting may impact young people’s ability to thrive.