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Abstract:According to the social clock and statistical norms, a transition into sexual activity after age 18 years is considered late. This longitudinal study examines whether late sexual transition is related to delays in the achievement of developmental tasks and lower psychological well-being in emerging adulthood for heterosexual individuals. A sample of 300 participants (61.3% women) was assessed annually from age 15 to 22 years and again at age 25, of which 43 reported sexual intercourse at age 19 or older or remained virgins in emerging adulthood. Results indicate that late sexual transition, particularly for men, is prospectively associated with still being at school, working fewer hours per week, being single and having no kids at age 25. It is also positively associated with depression and anxiety symptoms, interpersonal sensitivity, hostility, lower self-esteem, and lower happiness. This study enriches the understanding of slower developmental trajectories and the associations between late sexual transition and subsequent trajectories in emerging adulthood.

The aim of this study was to verify whether the links between features of best-friendship quality (intimacy, reliable alliance, conflict) and well-being indicators (self-esteem, loneliness) change from early emerging adulthood to early established adulthood. The moderating effect of gender and investment in romantic life on these links was examined as well. For the purpose, 346 individuals (58% women) completed questionnaires at age 20 and again at age 30. Multilevel analysis were performed for each well-being indicators separately. The results showed reliable alliance to be associated with both well-being indicators, and intimacy to be associated with loneliness. Age moderated the effect of intimacy on self-esteem, whereas investment in romantic life moderated the effect of reliable alliance. Finally, triple interactions emerged between conflict, gender and age in their associations with self-esteem and loneliness, underscoring particularities for men. These results underscore the most influential features of friendship quality for well-being.

Romantic relationship qualities are likely to change from adolescence to adulthood. Therefore, we undertook a longitudinal study to examine changes in satisfaction, intimacy, and conflict over this period by simultaneously testing the effects of age, relationship length, and their interaction. These qualities were measured at nine-time points from ages 16 to 30 in a Canadian sample of 337 participants (62.9% women) who reported being in a romantic relationship at least once over this period. The results of multilevel analyses show that satisfaction, intimacy, and conflict decline with age but increase with relationship length. Moreover, age and relationship length were found to have a significant interactive effect on satisfaction and intimacy.

This 15-year longitudinal study investigated with follow-up data how romantic patterns from ages 16 to 24 are associated with romantic involvement and turnover (ages 25–30), romantic dispositions (age 30) and romantic relationships characteristics (age 30). A sample of 255 individuals (60.8% women) identified all their romantic partners between the ages of 16 and 24. Between ages 25 and 30, participants identified all their romantic partners and the length of each relationship. At age 30, they also completed a series of questionnaires regarding romantic dispositions and if it applied, characteristics of their current romantic relationship. Results indicated continuity in the romantic sphere from adolescence to established adulthood. At age 30, romantic patterns were associated with: avoidance of intimacy, jealousy, global romantic satisfaction, relationship status and the duration of the current romantic relationship. Together, these results bring new information on romantic development from adolescence to established adulthood.

In this study, two different contexts were examined to identify and describe transition-to-adulthood profiles at age 25 (based on four adulthood markers) and to determine whether these profiles differ in well-being at age 25. Two French-Canadian samples (urban sample, N = 321; remote sample, N = 363) completed questionnaires at age 25 regarding adulthood markers (having left school, being a parent or expecting a child, having left the parental home, and being in a romantic relationship) and well-being (depressive symptoms, alcohol use, and self-esteem). A person-centered approach helped determine the presence of five distinct profiles for both samples: workers, parents, independent students, singles, late bloomers. The results indicated similarities and differences between contexts regarding the experience of transition to adulthood and demonstrated that youth’s well-being is associated with their profile and their context. This study contributes to the literature on emerging adulthood by describing heterogeneity in the transition to adulthood.

How do young adults get involved in community and political life and what distinguishes those who are engaged from those who are not? In an attempt to answer these questions, the current study examines civic participation (CP) profiles, and their predictors, among 311 French-Canadian youths transitioning into adulthood. Latent Class Analysis (LCA) and multinomial logistic regressions were performed. Four CP profiles were identified: unengaged(N= 198; 64%), political specialists(N= 47; 15%), community service specialists(N= 31; 10%) and dual activists(N= 35; 11%). Higher civic attitudes, altruistic orientation, political attentiveness and educational aspirations predicted active CP profile membership. Implications for future research are discussed.

This study examined how adolescents’ sexual trajectories are associated with achievement of emerging adulthood developmental tasks (educational attainment, full-time employment, romantic involvement) and psychosocial outcomes (problems with alcohol, depression, self-esteem). Trajectories (identified in a previous report by Rossi, Poulin, & Boislard) based on annual number of sexual partners from ages 16 to 22 (i.e., abstainers, low-increasing, medium-increasing, multiple partners’ trajectories) were compared on outcomes measured at age 22. Results showed that youths in the two less sexually active trajectories achieved higher levels of education than those in the two other trajectories, and females (but not males) in the multiple partners’ group reported more problems with alcohol than all other participants. The absence of significant differences in depression and self-esteem suggests that the impact of adolescent sexual trajectories on psychological outcomes might take longer to emerge.

Cumulative transitions in diverse life domains during emerging adulthood appear to promote both problems and fulfillment. This study aimed to shed light on the coexistence of these contradictory observations by examining the associations between cumulative transitions in four life domains (education, work, romantic, and residential) and adjustment problems (depressive symptoms and problematic alcohol use) and well-being. Participants (n= 255; 62 % women) were assessed annually between ages 18 to 25. Results of regression analyses partially confirmed both perspectives: cumulative transitions in the four life domains combined were curvilinearly associated with depressive symptoms (i.e., too few and too many transitions were associated with higher symptoms) and linearly and positively associated with well-being. Domain-specific effects were also observed. These results paint a more nuanced picture of how transitions are associated with adjustment in emerging adults, revealing how under- and over-exploration of the life domains predict individual adjustment.

A person-centered approach applied to the Inventory of Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood (IDEA) would provide a holistic outlook on this developmental period. This study aimed to (1) determine the presence of distinct profiles based on the IDEA scales and (2) compare these profiles with regard to sociodemographic indicators, internalizing problems, and problematic alcohol use. Participants (N= 307; mean age = 21) filled out the IDEA and questionnaires assessing internalizing problems and problematic alcohol use. Four profiles were identified: stalled transition(5%), moderate transition(43%), positive transition(35%), and transitional time(17%). Individuals in the transitional timeprofile reported higher internalizing problems and higher problematic alcohol use than youths assigned to the other profiles. These results suggest that applying a person-centered approach to the IDEA allows for the identification of distinct profiles with regard to the features of emerging adulthood and reported adjustment issues.

This study examines how romantic relationship patterns (i.e., based on the number of different partners and the number of years in a relationship) from adolescence to emerging adulthood (1) are associated with independence at age 25 and (2) are related to the characteristics of one’s romantic relationship and parental status at age 25. A sample of 274 youth (61.3% girls) identified their romantic partners each year between the ages of 16 and 24 and completed a series of questionnaires at age 25 concerning their level of independence and the characteristics of their current romantic relationship and parental status. Results show that patterns were associated with the pace at which youth accomplished tasks associated with emerging adulthood, in particular, gaining independence and becoming parents themselves. However, characteristics of the youth’s romantic relationships at age 25 did not vary as a function of these patterns.

This study examined the associations between various dimensions of romantic involvement and alcohol use in middle and late adolescence. Based on Brown's model (1999, The development of romantic relationships in adolescence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 291–329), significant associations were expected to be found in middle adolescence only, and these associations were expected to be stronger among girls than among boys. Participants (N = 294; 61% girls) filled out questionnaires at age 16 and again at age 20. At age 16, the results showed that adolescents who were involved in romantic relationships reported higher levels of alcohol use than those who were not. Moreover, the greater the number of romantic partners that the adolescents had and the greater the extent to which their romantic partners were older than they were, the higher their level of alcohol use would be. These effects did not vary according to participants' gender. Finally, none of these effects were found at age 20.