Emerging adults not in education, employment or training (NEET): socio-demographic characteristics, mental health and reasons for being NEET

Raúl A Gutiérrez-García,María Elena Medina-Mora,Enrique Méndez Ríos,Guilherme Borges,Corina Benjet

doi:10.1186/s12889-018-6103-4

Abstract

BackgroundA growing group of emerging adults in many countries around the globe are not incorporated into the education system or the labor market; these have received the label “NEET: not in education, employment nor training”. We describe the mental health and socio-demographic characteristics of emerging adults who are NEET from Mexico City (differentiating between NEET who are homemakers and NEET who are not) compared to their peers who are studying, working or both, in a city in which education and employment opportunities for youth are limited. A secondary objective, because of the often inconsistent inclusion criteria or definitions of NEET, was to evaluate the heterogeneity amongst NEET emerging adults in terms of their perceived reasons for being NEET and to evaluate whether different reasons for being NEET are associated with different mental health characteristics.MethodsThe participants were 1071 emerging adults aged 19 to 26; they were interviewed in person by an interviewer in their homes as part of a follow-up study of the Mexican Adolescent Mental Health Survey. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WMH-CIDI) assessed psychiatric disorders, substance use and abuse, suicidal behavior and socio-demographic characteristics.ResultsOf the total sample, 15.3% were NEET homemakers, 8.6% NEET non-homemakers, 41.6% worked only, 20.9% studied only and 13.5% worked and studied. Of those who were NEET, 12.6% were NEET by choice. NEET non-homemakers had overall greater odds of substance use, substance use disorders and some suicidal behaviors in comparison with all their peers, whereas NEET homemakers had reduced odds. Those who were NEET because they didn’t know what to do with their life had greater odds of mood, behavioral, and substance disorders, use of all substances and of suicide behaviors compared to those who were NEET by choice.ConclusionsNon-homemaker NEET who lack life goals require targeted mental health intervention. The demographic reality of emerging adults not in education or employment and the varying reasons they give for being NEET are not consistent with how NEET is often conceptualized in terms of a societal problem.

Highlights

A growing group of emerging adults in many countries around the globe are not incorporated into the education system or the labor market; these have received the label “Not in education (NEET): not in education, employment nor training”
The NEET non-homemaker category included those who receive no financial compensation for work, those looking for employment, and those who are not enrolled in any educational institution
Almost a quarter of the interviewed emerging adults from Mexico City were NEET, an estimation consistent with the 27% reported for the general population of youth aged 14–29 years living in Mexico [43]

Summary

Introduction

A growing group of emerging adults in many countries around the globe are not incorporated into the education system or the labor market; these have received the label “NEET: not in education, employment nor training”. The conceptual development of this new life stage is a response to changes in industrialized countries, such as later ages of adult roles like marriage, parenthood and work, an increase in the years dedicated to education and professional qualification, and a prolonged period of exploration of possible life directions [10] These aspects of emerging adulthood contribute to this being one of the most demographically heterogeneous stages of life (in terms of employment, studying, marital status, having children, living or not with one’s family of origin), with no distinct normative reference [11]. In Mexico, the context of economic crisis hinders the access of emerging adults to key social institutions for their development, such as education and work; this limited access contributes to a process of social exclusion, instability and vulnerability in this population [16], which can cause adulthood postponement and low autonomy [17]

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