Growing up Too Fast? The Implications of Precocious Social Competence in Young Adults from Disrupted Families

Donna R. Morrison, Georgetown University

While considerable research has focused on identifying the problems of children whose parents have separated or divorced, surprisingly few large-scale empirical studies have examined the positive, adaptive skills of these children. This gap exists despite evidence from small-scale psychological studies suggesting that some youth from maritally disrupted families (especially girls) demonstrate significantly greater amounts of household responsibility and higher levels of social maturity than their counterparts in married families. Moreover, it is unknown whether precocious social and emotional competence in response to disruption is ultimately desirable or undesirable. The press for maturity may reverberate as an increased risk of depression in later life and difficulties in making transitions into adulthood . This study addresses these issues using a prospective design and longitudinal data available into young adulthood among the children of the NLSY. Precocious competence is measured within both socio-emotional and behavioral domains.