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]