In my doctoral thesis I focused on the delayed transition to adulthood that seem to characterize our current society. More specifically, I studied the phenomenon of delayed home leaving or what we call in Belgium the "Hotel Mama" phenomenon. From a developmental perspective, the consequences of coresiding with the parents on the further development of emerging adults was studied as well as the potential impact of certain family dynamics. In the eventual study, a special focus of attention went out to the parent-child relationship and to the process of separation-individuation. A full copy of this dissertation can be requested by email.

At present, I' m working on a postdoctoral research project where I want to study in more detail the societal tendency of overinvolved or overprotective parenting. Parents want what is best for their children. However in a society that is extremely focused on perfection, success, and happiness, the best might not be good enough. Hence, in order to help children succeed many parents nowadays hover over their children and intercede whenever the child faces an upleasant situation or uncertainty. Can we be too much of a good parent? In this study we first want to clarify the meaning of this so called overinvolved or overprotective parenting. In a next step, we also aim to investigate the underlying dynamics that might explain why parents engage in such parenting behavior as well as the possible consequences for children.

• Kins, E., Soenens, B., & Beyers, W. (in press). Separation anxiety in families with emerging adults. Journal of Family Psychology
• Kins, E., Beyers, W., Soenens, B. (2013). When the separation-individuation process goes awry: Distinguishing between dysfunctional dependence and dysfunctional independence. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 37, 1-12.
• Kins, E., Soenens, B., & Beyers, W. (2012). Parental psychological control and dysfunctional separation-individuation: A tale of two different dynamics. Journal of Adolescence, 35, 1099-1109..
• Kins, E., Soenens, B., & Beyers, W. (2011). "Why do they have to grow up so fast?" Parental separation anxiety and emerging adults' pathology of separation-individuation. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 67, 647-664.
• Kins, E., & Beyers, W. (2010). Failure to launch, failure to achieve criteria for adulthood. Journal of Adolescent Research, 25, 743-777.
• Kins, E., Beyers, W., Soenens, B., & Vansteenkiste, M. (2009). Patterns of home-leaving and subjective well-being: The role of motivational processes and parental autonomy support. Developmental Psychology, 45, 1416-1429.
• Kins, E., Hoebeke, P., Heylens, G., Rubens, R., & De Cuypers, G. (2008). The female-to-male transsexual and his partner versus the traditional couple: A comparison. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 34, 429-438.

• Kins, E., Beyers, W., Van Petegem, S., Soenens, B., & Vansteenkiste, M. (2013, March). Does it matter where you live? A longitudinal study on home leaving, motivation and adjustment during emerging adulthood. Paper presented at the 1st World Conference on Personality, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
• Kins, E., Soenens, B., & Beyers, W. (2012, August). Examining associations between two domain-specific expressions of psychological control and two types of dysfunctional separation-individuation. Poster presented at the 13th Biennal Conference of the European Association for Research on Adolescence (EARA). Island of Spetses, Greece.
• Kins, E. & Beyers, W. (2012, July). "A longitudinal study on separation-individuation and interpersonal functioning in emerging adults in the process of home leaving". In Beyers, W. (chair) & Tanner, T. (chair/discussant), Independence, love and work: Developmental challenges in the transition to adulthood. Invited symposium conducted at the 22nd Biennal Meeting of the Society for the Study of Behavioural Development (ISSBD), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
• Kins, E., Beyers, W., & Soenens, B. (2012, March). "When the separation-individuation process goes awry: Distinguishing between dysfunctional dependence and dysfunctional independence". In Lapsley, D. (chair) & Kate C. McLean (Discussant), Functional and dysfunctional individuation: International perspectives. Paper discussion symposium conducted at the 14th Biennal Meeting of the Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA), Vancouver, BC, Canada.
• Kins, E., De Mol, J., & Beyers, W. (2011, October). "Why should I leave? It's easy and I don't have to pay for anything": A qualitative analysis of emerging adults' motives to live with the parents or to reside independently. In Kins E. (convenor), Dealing with uncertainty in the transition to adulthood: The role of the social network. Quantitative and qualitative data from Central and Southern Europe. Paper symposium conducted at the 5th Conference on Emerging Adulthood (CEA), Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
• Kins, E., & Beyers, W. (2010, May). Healthy separation-individuation or separation anxiety? Who is the driving force in the family of emerging adults? In Beyers W. (convenor/discussant), & Macek, P. (convenor), Dynamics of separation-individuation in emerging adulthood: Evidence from four countries. Invited symposium conducted on the 12th Biennal Conference on the European Association for Research on Adolescence (EARA), Vilnius, Lithuania.
• Kins, E., Beyers, W., Soenens, B. & Vansteenkiste, M. (2010, May). Home leaving and subjective well-being in emerging adulthood: The role of motivation. Poster presented at the 4th Self-Determination Theory (SDT) Conference, Ghent, Belgium.
• Kins, E., & Beyers, W. (2010, March). Trajectories of separation-individuation and well-being in emerging adults in the middle of the home-leaving process. In Beyers, W. (chair) & Arnett, J. J. (discussant) Socialization in emerging adulthood: Evidence for diversity and instability from longitudinal studies on three continents. Paper symposium conducted on the 13th biennal meeting of the Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
• Kins, E., & Beyers, W. (2009, October). The role of parental separation anxiety in emerging adults' pathology of separation-individuation during the process of home leaving. In Seiffge-Krenke, I. (convenor) & Galambos, N. (discusant) "She's leaving home...": Parents' and emerging adults' perceptions of autonomy related developmental tasks and links to adaptations. Symposium conducted on the 4th Conference on Emerging Adutlhood (CEA), Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
• Kins, E., & Beyers, W. (2009, October). Failure to launch, failure to achieve criteria for adulthood? Poster presented at the 4th Conference on Emerging Adulthood (CEA), Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
• Kins, E., & Beyers, W. (2008, May). Living with your parents during emerging adulthood: Impact on subjective well-being and role of motivational processes. In Beyers, W. (convenor) & Goossens, L. (discussant), Delayed home leaving in European emerging adults: Determinants, correlates and consequences. Symposium conducted on the 11th Biennal Conference of the European Association for Research on Adolescence (EARA), Turin, Italy.