Social connectedness and dimensions of emerging adulthood among young adults in India

Abstract

The current study investigates the relationship between social connectedness and each dimension of emerging adulthood i.e. identity exploration, self-focus, feeling in-between, and experimentation/possibilities among young adults in India. The study employs a quantitative approach, utilizing self-report inventories to gather data from 207 (N=207) participants aged 18-25 years in Indian cities. The measurement tools used were the Social Connectedness Scale-R (SCS-R) devised by Lee and Robbins (1995) and the Inventory for Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood (Revised) devised by Reifman et al (2007). The Spearman correlation results showed that there was a positive correlation between SCS-R and Experimentation/Possibilities as well as a positive relationship between Social Connectedness and Self-Focused. However, there was no statistically significant correlation found between Social Connectedness and the dimension of identity exploration and feeling in-between. Regression analysis demonstrated that social connectedness had a significant influence on the dimensions of experimentation/possibilities and self-focused. The study also showed that there were no differences on social connectedness and dimensions of emerging adulthood based on gender.