The Social, Emotional, and Educational Impact of Family Disruption on Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review

Family stability is widely considered the cornerstone of emotional development and social stability, especially during the early years of adolescence and early adulthood (Buka et al., 2020). However, in recent decades, the growing prevalence of family disruption has raised significant concerns about their long-term effects on young people. This review aims to identify social, emotional, and educational impact of family disruption on adolescents and young adults. Following PRISMA guidelines (Moher et al., 2009), the search strategy was designed to ensure comprehensive coverage of the relevant literature across multiple disciplines, including psychology, sociology, education, and public health. Searches were conducted across several academic databases including Google Scholar, PubMed, PsycINFO, and ResearchGate. Additionally, institutional repositories, grey literature archives, and government or think-tank reports such as those from the Centre for Social Justice were also explored. 148 articles were extracted when search strategy was implemented. When all criteria were satisfied, 11 articles emerged and were included for the final review. Results showed that family disruption negatively affects (1) educational outcomes, (2) emotional vulnerability of adolescents, and (3) social and behavioural outcomes, (4) while parenting styles mediated the effects of family breakdown. Recommendations were made in the view of practical implication in education, mental health, social services, policymaking.