Employment has long been recognized as an important turning point for facilitating the desistance process among young people. Criminologists, however, often theorize and operationalize employment in a binary nature: having a job or not. Evidence from the field of emerging adulthood has recognized that the socio-structural shifts in society for Millennials and Generation Z have changed how employment functions in the transition to adulthood, which compromises the classical theorizations of criminologists. This study aims to examine the mechanisms behind employment and how it can facilitate the transition to adulthood among emerging adults. The findings demonstrate how meaningful employment is considered an optimal marker for the identity transition into adulthood. Justice-involved young people face barriers in their paths towards meaningful employment, which require developmental and life course criminological theories to adapt their conceptualizations and operationalizations to accurately capture these nuances and improve the body of evidence in the field.

Emerging adulthood is a developmental stage marked by emotional vulnerability and a high prevalence of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. This study aimed to identify mental health profiles among Colombian emerging adults based on the dual-factor model of mental health. A total of 411 participants aged 18 to 29 years completed self-report measures assessing psychological well-being, self-esteem, optimism, emotion regulation, and emotional distress. Latent profile analysis revealed three distinct profiles: a healthy profile characterized by high psychological well-being, low emotional symptoms, and strong protective factors; a dysfunctional profile, characterized by low well-being and high emotional sympotms; and a vulnerable profile, showing moderate emotional symptoms and low well-being. These findings align with previous research and highlight the importance of mental health interventions tailored to the challenges of emerging adulthood. The high prevalence of vulnerable and dysfunctional profiles emphasizes the need for effective strategies that address both the prevention of emotional symptoms and the promotion of well-being.

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a known risk factor for depression, yet its daily cognitive-emotional mechanisms remain unclear, especially under unpredictable stressors like COVID-19. This study examined whether CM relates to mean levels and daily dynamics of perceived control (PC) and negative affect (NA), as well as whether these processes mediate depression in emerging adults. Among 184 Chinese emerging adults ( M age = 21.58, SD = 2.09; 123 females) assessed over 14 days. DSEM revealed significant cross-lagged effects between PC and NA, highlighting the dynamic cognitive-emotional interaction. Moreover, mean levels of PC and NA mediated the association between childhood emotional abuse (CEA) and depression, whereas other CM subtypes were not related to depression through PC or NA. These results suggest that dual cognitive-emotional pathways are fundamental mechanisms connecting CEA to depression. The study highlights the necessity of interventions addressing both PC and NA, especially in the context of unpredictable stressors.

The proportion of Irish emerging adults (18–25) living at home has risen sharply due to economic pressures and housing crises, yet the mental health impacts of this shift remain understudied. This qualitative study, therefore, explores the lived experiences of Irish emerging adults living at home, assessing the impact of these living arrangements on their well-being and symptoms of depression. A purposive sample of nine Irish adults aged between 18 and 24 completed individual semi-structured interviews. Transcripts were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings indicate participants believed parental co-residence stunted their development, with economic pressures rendering it a necessity rather than a choice. In addition, they believed that co-residence exacerbated their emotional distress, particularly when living at home was not a voluntary choice. Ultimately, this study reframes co-residence as a structural issue, urging policymakers to address affordable housing, rent controls, public transport, and mental health supports to foster autonomy and well-being.

Emerging adulthood (EA) is a formative life stage characterized by four core dimensions: self-exploration, responsibility, possibility, and instability in the Chinese context. While EA has been extensively studied in Western populations, its dimensional configurations and mental health implications remain underexplored in Chinese contexts. This study employed latent profile analysis to examine EA profiles and their association with depression among 631 Chinese college students ( M age = 21.49, SD = 2.64; 63.4% male). Three distinct profiles emerged: Stalled EA Transition with Low Possibility (Class 1; 5.86%), Average EA Transition (Class 2; 79.40%), and Positive EA Transition with High Self-Exploration and Possibility (Class 3; 14.74%). Depression levels varied systematically across profiles, with Class 1 reporting the highest and Class 3 the lowest. Family socioeconomic status, particularly paternal occupational prestige and maternal education, significantly predicted membership in the profiles. These findings underscore the need for culturally informed and profile-based mental health interventions within college settings in China. Future research should test whether these patterns extend to diverse emerging adult populations (e.g., non-students).

The risk factors and trajectories of ‘failure to launch’ (FTL; i.e., adults who depend on their parents while not in employment or higher education) are not well understood. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), we compared two groups: adults with FTL (N = 641) and without FTL (N = 8993). Academic, social, psychiatric, behavioral, and physical risk factors were examined by comparing the groups during adolescence (ages 12-18). FTL trajectories were examined by comparing participants’ functioning at ages 18-26 and 26-32. Results indicated that adolescents who later experienced FTL encountered more academic challenges, deficits in social functioning, behaviors typically associated with FTL, mental health issues, and puberty delays. Furthermore, adults with FTL had poorer outcomes six and thirteen years later. These findings suggest that FTL is a persistent phenomenon with identifiable risk factors, highlighting the potential benefits of targeted adolescent mental health and academic support interventions.

Although the theoretical basis suggests that portrayals of traditional beauty ideals in the media not only lead to dissatisfaction with one’s own body but can also distort an individual’s entire self-concept, as it is not only the body that is strongly influenced by perfect images, it is necessary to examine the enormous influence that media portrayals of idealized images have from a broader perspective. Accordingly, the main aim of the present study is to investigate the latent and realizable influence that body ideals portrayed in the media exert on women in general via self-objectification and body dissatisfaction, thus revealing the extent of widespread influences on self-concept. A total of 386 female participants ( M = 22.9, SD = 2.1) were selected from various government and private higher education institutions in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Path analysis using structural equation modeling was conducted with AMOS. The results showed that dissatisfaction with one’s own body had a significant indirect effect on the relationship between media pressure and the domains of self-concept (power, task mastery, and vulnerability). Dissatisfaction with one’s own body and self-objectification were found to be mediating variables in the self-concept domains of task mastery, power, and vulnerability, but not for aptitude, morality, or likability. The multiple mediation model showed complete mediation, as the direct effects of media pressure on self-concept (vulnerability and task accomplishment) were no longer significant.

Emerging adulthood is characterized by transitions toward independence, where separation anxiety may intensify. Despite its robust psychometric properties, previously investigated on adult samples, the Adult Separation Anxiety Questionnaire (ASA-27) lacks formal validation for emerging adults. This study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the ASA-27 on a sample of Italian emerging adults. 863 participants completed the ASA-27 and measures of anxiety and depression. With the aim of prospecting a shorter, optimized version of the tool, psychometric properties were assessed using the Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory (IRT) approach. Convergent validity and measurement invariance across sex were also tested. The reduced 19-items version retained a unidimensional structure, strong internal consistency and convergent validity. Measurement invariance supported consistent use across sexes. The ASA-19 is a reliable and more user-friendly tool for assessing separation anxiety in emerging adults, contributing to improved psychological assessment and intervention strategies in this life stage.

This study investigated how positive childhood experiences (PCEs) predict psychological resilience and psychopathological symptoms in the context of childhood maltreatment (CM). Drawing from Resiliency Theory and the Ecological-Transactional Model, we examined PCEs’ promotive and protective roles across ecological levels in 406 Turkish university students (ages 18–27; 79.3% female), following data screening procedures. PCEs were assessed at individual (self-regulation), microsystem (perceived social support), and exosystem (neighborhood cohesion) levels. Hierarchical regression analyses supported the Compensatory Model, with perceived social support and self-regulation predicting better outcomes after accounting for CM. Unexpectedly, higher levels of these factors strengthened rather than buffered the associations between CM and resilience relationship, and no moderation effects emerged for psychopathological symptoms. Neighborhood cohesion showed no significant effects. These findings highlight the complex interplay between CM and PCEs, suggesting that their role on resilience may vary based on both the ecological levels and the severity of CM. Implications include the need for early prevention programs target the development of self-regulation skills and strengthening of perceived social support during childhood.

The aim of this research is to investigate the effectiveness of a psychoeducation program designed based on the variables of optimism, self-compassion, altruism, and gratitude, which are demonstrated under the umbrella of positive psychology, on the forgiveness of emerging-adults towards themselves, others, and situations. An experimental research model was employed to test the effect of the psychoeducation program prepared by the researchers. In the initial stage, a demographic information form and the Heartland Forgiveness Scale were administered to 161 emerging-adults who volunteered to participate, in order to determine which participants would be assigned to the experimental and control groups. Subsequently, two participants of the same gender with very close forgiveness score averages were paired to create 14 pairs. Then, one participant from each pair was randomly assigned to the experimental group and the other to the control group, using the method of matching participants, resulting in the division of participants into experimental and control groups. Non-parametric Mann Whitney U-Test and Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test were utilized for data analysis. According to the research results, the experimental group that participated in the forgiveness-focused psychoeducation program, which supported the variables of optimism, self-compassion, altruism, and gratitude, showed a significant positive difference in total forgiveness scores as well as forgiveness towards themselves, others, and situations compared to the control group. This difference in forgiveness scores among emerging-adults in the experimental group was also found to be enduring in the follow-up measurement. In this context, it can be concluded that the variables of optimism, self-compassion, altruism, and gratitude demonstrated under the umbrella of positive psychology can be utilized to enhance forgiveness skills among emerging adults.