Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 25, 2025

Integrating Computerized Linguistic and Social Network Analyses to Capture Addiction Recovery Capital in an Online Community
Published on: May 31, 2019
A Typology of U.S. Emerging Adults' Online and Offline Connectedness with Extended Family
1Department of Family Social Science, University of Minnesota, 290 McNeal Hall, 1985 Buford Ave, St. Paul, MN 55108 USA.
Abstract:
Emerging adulthood has changed dramatically in the last 30 years, in part due to the widespread adoption of communication technology. Despite studies showing that youth in the United States are communicating with extended family using technology, research on online interactions with non-parental relatives is lacking. Framed by intergenerational solidarity theory, this study identifies subgroups of U.S. emerging adults (N = 532; 18-29 years old) based on eight indicators of connectedness with extended family. Latent class analysis revealed four group: (1) Highly connected (18%), (2) Distant; technologically connected (36%), (3) Close; technologically connected (17%), and (4) Distant (28%). Participants identified cousins and aunts/uncles most frequently as extended family. Results show that 72% of participants are connecting with extended family online, even when they do not feel close to them. Findings support the idea that technology could be the means by which extended family members continue to play a role in the lives of young adults, especially when they are not seeing them frequently in-person.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Emerging Adulthood
Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood
Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....
The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison
Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Adulthood
Intimacy Versus Isolation in Early Adulthood
Individuals in early...
Relationship Formation

