A 22-year-old today might have much more in common with his or her grandfather or even great-grandfather than his own parents, a new study suggests. The reason: Young Americans, like their counterparts in the early 1900s, are taking their time leaving home and becoming full-fledged adults. The researchers say it comes down to economics, as young people today are more financially insecure and take home lower wages. The result: greater burden on parents, of course. The result can be more than close quarters for burgeoning personalities and bodies. We’re in the middle of a recession (though experts argue on whether we’re truly in or out of the financial dive), which is already putting pressures on middle-class families, say the researchers, Richard Settersten, a professor of human development and family sciences at Oregon State University, and Barbara Ray, president of Hired Pen, Inc. The longer path to adulthood strains families as well as institutions that have traditionally supported young Americans in making that transition - residential colleges and universities, community colleges, the military, and national service programs. ‘Only by continuing or increasing investments in young people after the age of 18 can policymakers implement the supports needed […]