From family estrangement to empowered exits: new emotional developments

Adult child and parent estrangement has seen an upward trend in recent years. While former research has explored the motivations and implications of the family estrangement or exiting phenomenon, little is known about the emotional (re)socialization process of “exiters” in the family exiting process. Through in-depth, online interviews ( n = 30), this qualitative study investigates how adult children and parent exiters undergo an emotional (re)socialization process related to wellbeing outcomes. The empirical findings reveal that the family exiting process is emotionally nuanced with social gains and consequences for both adult children and parents in this study. While respondents self-report positive feelings associated with severing ties, there is a mixed impact on overall wellbeing. This research has significant policy and practical implications in forging social and emotional support resources for individuals who experience an exit from their family system.