The Role of Gender and Age in the Emotional Well-Being Outcomes of Young Adults.

Claudia López-Madrigal,Jesús De La Fuente,Jorge Amate-Romera,Francisco Javier Peralta-Sánchez,Javier García-Manglano,José Manuel Martínez-Vicente

doi:10.3390/ijerph18020522

Abstract

Young adults face different stressors in their transition to college. Negative emotions such as stress can emerge from the demands they face. This study aimed at gaining an improved understanding of the role that gender and age play in the well-being of young adults. Coping strategies, resilience, self-regulation, and positivity were selected as indicators of well-being. Descriptive and inferential analysis have been conducted. Results show that well-being varies significantly with age and gender. Gender was predominantly involved in the acquisition of the well-being outcomes, highly predicting problem-focused coping strategies. No interaction effects were found between gender and age. An improved understanding of the developmental factors involved in well-being outcomes will enlighten future interventions aimed at improving young people’s resources to face adversity.

Highlights

Each developmental period has its own sources of stress and is associated with various social contexts, which lead to differences in the use of psychosocial strategies [1]
The results presented in this research stablish associative, predictive, and inferential evidence of the role of gender and age in the developmental emotional well-being outcomes of young adults
Positivity was considered as an attitudinal variable, but it did not seem to be associated neither with gender nor age, but a slight interaction effect was found between these two

Summary

Introduction

Each developmental period has its own sources of stress and is associated with various social contexts, which lead to differences in the use of psychosocial strategies [1]. Young adults (18–25 years old) are subject to a number of stressors that affect their social, emotional, and relational spheres. Uncertainty about the future, academic pressure, and social integration are stressors that influence their performance [2,3,4]. A growing number of recent studies seek to evaluate ways of promoting well-being and positive adaptation among youth. Resilience, positivity, self-regulation, and coping strategies are considered protective factors among college students, shielding them from negative health outcomes [5,6]. More evidence is needed on how these variables are affected by other sociodemographic variables over time, such as gender and age

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion