Abstract
This study investigated perceptions of achieved criteria for adulthood (ACA) among emerging adult student samples from Austria (n = 210), Slovenia (n = 201), and the United States (n = 225). Controlling for parental education, students’ age (18-27 years), and gender, we aimed to explain between- and within-sample differences in the ACA by taking the students’ living situation, intimate relationship status, and expectations about their future perspectives into account. The participants indicated the ACA on the questionnaire based on criteria for reaching adulthood used in studies of adulthood conceptions. The students also provided information about when they think they will start the first full-time career, get married, gain financial independence, and become a parent. The Europeans indicated less ACA than the Americans; 20% of the variance in the ACA was, along with the country effect, explained by the intimate relationship status and future perspectives.
Highlights
The age period from late teens through the 20s has become widely recognized as emerging adulthood (Arnett, 2000; Buhl & Lanz, 2007)
The findings obtained by the Arnett list across Western type societies (Arnett, 2001; Cheah et al, 2010; Macek et al, 2007; Nelson, 2009; Puklek Levpušček & Zupančič, 2010; Sirsch et al, 2009; Townshend, Gallaway, Friedlmeier, Puklek Levpušček, & Sirsch, 2009) suggest that taking responsibility for one’s own actions, making decisions, establishing a relationship with parents as an equal adult, and financial independence—all aspects of personal independence—are viewed to be the most important criteria for adulthood from perspectives of adolescents, emerging adults, and adults through midlife
Students at the State University of Vienna, Austria (n = 210); the State University of Ljubljana, Slovenia (n = 201); and Grand Valley State University in Michigan, the United States (n = 225) participated in this study, which is a part of a broader project on emerging adulthood in the three countries
Summary
The age period from late teens through the 20s has become widely recognized as emerging adulthood (Arnett, 2000; Buhl & Lanz, 2007). Kins and Beyers (2010) suggested that the perceived adult status is a multidimensional construct, which cannot be fully captured by looking for an answer to a general question They proposed each of the dimensions to be tapped separately by using criteria about the conception of adulthood from the Arnett list, which refer to distinct conceptual categories such as Independence (e.g., not deeply tied to parents emotionally), Interdependence (e.g., committed to long-term love relationships), and Family Capacities (e.g., capable of caring for children). In line with recent research (Kins & Beyers, 2010; Zupančič et al, 2014), we quantified the concept of the perceived adult status by using several criteria from the Arnett list in a modified response format, that is, asking individuals whether they think that they have fulfilled each of the criteria to gain better and more specific insights into young peoples’ perceptions of their own adult status
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