Closer Parental Relationships: First- Versus Continuing-Generation College Graduates

• In Event: 47.037 - The Family Goes to College: Understanding Family Engagement in College Choice and Access for Diverse Students

Abstract

To better understand the post-college familial context for first-generation college graduates, this paper analyzes the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to compare first- and continuing-generation college graduates’ parent relationships after college. Regression results indicate that first-generation graduates are just as likely to feel emotionally close to and receive financial support from their parents; however, they are significantly more likely to live near their parents. They are also more likely to give financial support to their parents, though this is accounted for by controls. By using a family systems perspective, this study reorients our analysis to understand the unique context of first-generation graduates’ post-college lives and the potentially broad implications of educational attainment beyond the individual.

Author

• Emily Parrott, Teaching Trust