Abstract
Research often focuses on exchanges of help between mature adult children and ageing parents, but not between young adults and parents. As transitions to adulthood become more complex, and mid-life is increasingly associated with competing roles, this article examines factors influencing the likelihood that a mid-life parent continues to support an adult child who has left home. Empirical analysis uses data from New Zealand's 1997 `Transactions in the Mid-life Family' survey. Parents continue to support their child, but the factors influencing the flow of help vary by type of help. A child's, but not a parent's age, and the gender of both, have a significant influence on the provision of help, and although infrequent contact and long distances make exchanges more difficult, they do not completely inhibit them.
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