Empty nest syndrome

Empty nest syndrome is a feeling of grief and loneliness parents may feel when their children move out of the family home, such as to live on their own or to pursue a higher education. It is not a clinical condition.

Since the departure of their children from "the nest" leads to adjustments in parents' lives, it frequently results in depression and a loss of purpose for parents. Empty nest syndrome is especially common in full-time mothers or single fathers.