Factors influencing adaptation from university to employment in Portugal and Brazil

Abstract

The career adaptation model helps to explain the process of transitioning from university to employment among college students. This study tested the invariance of the model for gender and for Portuguese and Brazilian cultural contexts. Participants included 638 students (69% women, 66.1% Brazilian), aged 18 to 56 (M = 23.78, SD = 20.33). Individuals’ adaptability resources, adapting responses, and adaptation results were considered and assessed. Multigroup path analysis results indicated invariance of the model only for contexts, indicating that the adaptation process, in university to employment transition, is equivalent in Portugal and Brazil, guiding career interventions in both contexts.