Parental and Nonparental Career-Related Support Among Young Adults

The present study examined the prevalence and role of career-related support in 100 Israeli emerging adults who were followed from ages 22 to 29. At the age of 29, participants were asked to name any significant persons who had impacted their career history. Both parents and nonfamily other adults were most frequently cited to provide career-related support. While both parents provided both emotional and professional career-related support, other adults tended to provide mainly professional support. Availability of career-related support was associated with greater occupational adequacy and higher psychosocial functioning. Parental career-related support was mainly predicted by parental support 7 years earlier. The likelihood of citing a nonparental career-related supportive relationship was predicted by increased personal efficacy and maternal support 7 years earlier. Findings of this study shed light on the role of parental and nonparental career-related support in navigating successfully the transition to adulthood.