Selection of Studies
The results of the electronic searches were merged in Mendeley, where
duplicate records were electronically removed. The inclusion criteria
for this review were as follows: (a) empirical studies that used
quantitative or qualitative methods, or both; (b) studies whose
participants were emerging adults and/or the relatives of emerging
adults; (c) assessment of family relationships as a variable
(quantitative studies) or category/theme (qualitative studies).
According to Arnett (2000), emerging adulthood starts in the 18th year
of life when people reach majority in most contexts. Although Arnett’s
first publications focused primarily on the age range of 18-25, the
current literature regarding emerging adulthood is more inclusive in
terms of age. In fact, accepting emerging adulthood until the age of
thirty may be more accurate internationally, especially because the
median ages for marriage and parenthood in some countries are higher
than thirty years old (Arnett, 2015). Thus, for the purposes of this
review, we defined emerging adulthood as encompassing the age range of
18 to 35.
In the first step of the screening process, the first two authors read
the titles and abstracts of the selected records, identifying 126
potentially relevant studies. The main exclusion criteria applied in
this phase included: (a) assessment of family relationships concerning
early stages of development (i.e., childhood, adolescence); (b) studies
whose participants were facing particular stressors (e.g., chronic
disease, death of a relative); and (c) studies whose primary focus went
beyond family relationships within the joint transition phase. This was
verified, for instance, in research focusing on emerging adults’
intimate relationships. In the second step of the screening process, the
first two authors independently examined the full texts of the selected
studies. The main exclusion criteria applied in this phase included: (a)
studies in which family relationships were not the primary focus, and
(b) studies of insufficient descriptive focus. According to the former
criteria, studies characterizing family relationships, including its
predictors, were included, contrary to studies focusing on the effects
of family relationships on emerging adults’ individual outcomes.
The strategy applied in the second screening allowed for the calculation
of an interrater agreement as recommend by PRISMA – Preferred Reporting
Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (Moher et al., 2015).
Cohen’s kappa coefficient showed a strong agreement between the two
first authors (κ = .843; McHugh, 2012). In the few cases in which the
authors disagreed, consensus was reached after discussion. Finally, one
additional study that met the inclusion criteria was added, having been
identified through the manual searches. Figure 1 depicts the flowchart
of the study selection process. [insert Figure 1]