Critical Life Events Research Articles

Beyond Automation: A Rigorous Testing Framework for Reliable AI Chatbots in Life Insurance

AI-driven chatbots are transforming customer service in Life Insurance, offering policyholders instant support, streamlined inquiries, and personalized recommendations. However, deploying these chatbots effectively requires addressing unique challenges, including interpreting complex insurance terminology, ensuring regulatory compliance, and maintaining data security and user privacy. This research introduces a detailed testing framework specifically tailored to Life Insurance chatbots, covering functional, non-functional, AI-specific, and compliance testing to guarantee accuracy, reliability, and adherence to legal standards. The framework emphasizes essential practices for verifying natural language understanding, sensitive data handling, and empathetic responses for users navigating critical life events. This research highlights the critical role of targeted testing to deliver robust, user-centered chatbot solutions in the Life Insurance sector.

Partnership quality and maternal depressive symptoms in the transition to parenthood: a prospective cohort study

BackgroundPregnancy and childbirth are critical life events which lead to significant changes in family structures and roles, thus having a substantial impact on partner relationship and maternal wellbeing. A dysfunctional partnership during this critical time of life has been associated with maternal depressiveness. However, sub-components of partnership quality and the causal relation with maternal symptoms of depression in the perinatal period have been sparsely studied so far. The current study aims to longitudinally assess the course of relationship quality and its sub-components from pregnancy to postpartum and to test a potential causal association with maternal symptoms of depression in the perinatal period.MethodsDiffering from previous studies, partnership quality and symptoms of depression have been assessed prospectively and longitudinally from an early stage of pregnancy (second trimester) until six months postpartum. Cross-lagged panel models were applied to investigate a potential causal relationship between partnership quality and maternal depressive symptoms.ResultsRelationship quality decreased significantly during the transition to parenthood (p < .05) with the steepest decline referring to tenderness (p < .001). We also found a substantial association of relationship quality and maternal depressiveness, but no indication for a clear causal direction of this association.ConclusionsOur results suggest that relationship quality and maternal depressiveness are substantially related in the perinatal period, thus pointing to the need of early prevention and intervention programs for peripartum women and their partners to prevent adverse outcome for the couple and the family.

Anxiety in Pregnancy: Comparing High-Risk and Normal Pregnant Women through the Beck Anxiety Inventory

Aim: Pregnancy is a critical life event that necessitates adaptation to numerous physical and psychological changes. While it often brings positive emotions, it can also induce significant stress and anxiety, especially in high-risk scenarios with potential maternal and fetal health concerns. This study aims to investigate whether there is a difference in anxiety levels between pregnant women under routine obstetric care and those under perinatology care for high-risk pregnancies. Material and Method: This cross-sectional survey was conducted at the Giresun Training and Research Hospital Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital. Ninety pregnant women aged 18-40 were divided into two groups: 45 women receiving routine obstetric care (Group I) and 45 women receiving perinatology care for high-risk pregnancies (Group II). Data were collected using a 20-question socio-demographic and medical characteristics questionnaire, along with the Beck Anxiety Inventory. Results: The study found no significant difference in socio-demographic characteristics such as education, employment, and income status between the two groups (p&gt;0.05). The Beck Anxiety Inventory scores indicated that both groups predominantly experienced low-level anxiety: 82.2% in Group I and 86.7% in Group II. Moderate anxiety was reported by 15.6% of Group I and 11.1% of Group II. Only 2.2% of participants in each group experienced severe anxiety. There was no significant difference in the overall anxiety levels between the two groups (p&gt;0.05), although Group I reported higher heart palpitations (p

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychosomatic status of emeritus professors: The importance of active lifestyles

AbstractPurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous negative impact on the psychosomatic status of the general population, and especially of more vulnerable populations, such as older people. The present study aimed to assess changes in psychosomatic status before and after the COVID-19 pandemic among emeritus professors over 70 years of age.Materials/MethodsA total of 56 emeritus professors aged 77.4 ± 6.1 (74.1% male) participated in the study. The study was conducted between September 2022 and January 2023, after approximately two and a half years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sociodemographic characteristics, including socioeconomic status, were assessed in the questionnaire, along with active involvement in academic life and healthcare/sports. Physical and mental fatigue were assessed using a self-report questionnaire, and the impact of fatigue on physical and cognitive function was measured using the Fatigue Impact Scale. Participants evaluated their physical/mental fatigue and physical/cognitive function before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.ResultsAmong the participating emeritus professors, 15% reported higher levels of physical fatigue (Z = −1.992, P = 0.046, r = 0.28) and mental fatigue (Z = −2.154, P = 0.031, r = 0.31) following the COVID-19 pandemic. A significant difference was found in physical function assessed before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, t(51) = −2.986, P = 0.004, g = 0.22, while cognitive function showed a non-significant difference, t(51) = −1.265, P = 0.212, g = 0.12. After the COVID-19 pandemic, 26.9% of participants reported reduced physical function and 19.2% showed reduced cognitive function. Infection with the COVID-19 virus resulted in increased mental fatigue and reduced cognitive function among the participating emeritus professors.ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic (and the introduction of restrictions on social activities) had a substantial and similar impact on the psychosomatic status of emeritus professors at both medical and sports universities. Furthermore, the reduction in physical and mental/cognitive function was exacerbated in those who were infected by SARS-CoV-2. Importantly, however, the overall impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was smaller in the population of emeritus professors than in the general elderly population. This may be due to the better maintenance of physical and mental activity in the former population, thus emphasising the importance of remaining physically and mentally active in old age, especially in the context of critical life events.

“I’ve built a shield around myself, I’ll finish and that’s it”: coping strategies among online students with disabilities

ABSTRACT Online learning offers learners the convenience and freedom to study at their own pace and place, but it also poses various obstacles for those with specific educational needs. This paper aims to delve into the subjective experiences of online learners with disabilities, focusing on how they manage the challenges encountered in asynchronous online learning. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse interviews conducted with 24 learners with physical, sensory, mental, and learning disabilities. The analysis showed that learners employ proactive coping strategies to address academic and emotional challenges, as well as critical life events, hindering their full involvement in online learning activities. Internal factors such as self-determination, self-efficacy, resilience, and problem-solving play a significant role in overcoming the difficulties associated with online study. This research provides valuable insights from learners’ perspectives that can inform the development of more effective support strategies for all students. Cultivating awareness of diversity and providing training to students on building self-belief, self-care, and problem-solving skills are highlighted as key elements for enhancing their persistence and academic success. By taking into account the experiences and needs of students with disabilities, educational stakeholders can develop tailored strategies that foster an inclusive and empowering educational experience for all.

Trajectories of Satisfaction with Life Following a Collective, Critical Life Event and Their Relationship with Sociodemographic Factors and Internal Migration: The Example of the German Reunification 1989/90

There are considerable interindividual differences in adjustment processes in satisfaction with life (SWL) following critical life events. We focused on a collective life event, the German reunification in 1989/90, which prompted fundamental changes in the political, social, and economic conditions to investigate the heterogeneity of short- and long-term trajectories of SWL and their association with sociodemographic factors and internal migration. Using data (short-term: 1990–1994, long-term: 1990–2019) from the German Socioeconomic Panel (N = 5548), we applied growth mixture modelling with categorical time for short-term and continuous (quadratic) time for long-term trajectories. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine associations of the trajectories with internal migration (West German (reference)/East German non-migrants, East-West/West-East migrants), baseline characteristics (sex, age, education, marital status, employment status, household income) and changes (becoming not employed, becoming divorced/separated, change in household income). The best models indicated four classes both long- and short-term, with the majority showing high stable SWL (86.7% (short-term) vs. 62.3% (long-term)); other classes were ‘improvement’ (2.5%, vs. 16.4%), ‘decline-improvement’ (5.2% vs. 9.4%), and ‘decline’ (5.6% vs. 11.9%). For short-term trajectories, East German non-migrants and East-West migrants were more likely to show unstable trajectories. Long-term, both East German non-migrants and East-West migrants had higher odds of increasing SWL, whereas West-East migrants had higher chances for decline-improvement. Differential associations with baseline sociodemographic characteristics and changes thereof were found. The study highlights distinct SWL trajectories following the collective event of German reunification. These trajectories vary based on short- versus long-term perspectives, sociodemographic background, and internal migration patterns.

Retirement Makes You Old? Causal Effect of Retirement on Biological Age

Retirement is a critical life event for older people. Health scholars have scrutinized the health effects of retirement, but its consequences on age-related diseases and mortality are unclear. We extend this body of research by integrating measurements of biological age, representing the physiological decline preceding disease onset. Using data from the UK Biobank and a fuzzy regression discontinuity design, we estimated the effects of retirement on two biomarker-based biological age measures. Results showed that retirement significantly increases biological age for those induced to retire by the State Pension eligibility by 0.871–2.503 years, depending on sex and specific biological age measurement. Given the emerging scientific discussion about direct interventions to biological age to achieve additional improvements in population health, the positive effect of retirement on biological age has important implications for an increase in the State Pension eligibility age and its potential consequences on population health, public health care policy, and older people's labor force participation. Overall, this study provides novel empirical evidence contributing to the question of what social factors make people old.

Framework and effects of the life story work based group intervention ANKOMMEN for adolescents in residential care in Germany. A qualitative analysis of interviews with participants

Adolescents in out-of-home care are a high-risk population due to their accumulation of adverse childhood experiences. Furthermore, out-of-home placement itself is a critical life event. Life story work (LSW) is a method for coping with critical life events. However, the need for a high amount of resources makes its implementation in care settings difficult. To improve the accessibility of LSW in residential care, the ANKOMMEN (English “Arriving”) intervention was developed as a manualized and cost-efficient group intervention. This study aims to explore the experiences of adolescents who took part in the intervention in order to examine how participation benefited them and what contributed to these beneficial effects. For this reason, we analyzed n = 48 individual interviews with adolescents after completing the intervention. The focused interview analysis method was used to transcribe and code the interviews. The qualitative analyses revealed that the framework of the intervention helped the participants to open up and to process parts of their history within the group. Moreover, the group setting was a major contributory factor to the positive effects of the intervention by encouraging the participants to exchange their experiences, through mutual peer support and the normalization of adverse thoughts and feelings. Furthermore, participation in the intervention increased self-esteem and self-efficacy in some participants. It contributed to the improvement of positive relationships, helped clarify placement associated events, thoughts and feelings, and improved the acceptance of the placement. Further research is needed to validate these findings and thus widen the range of application of LSW.

Navigating a world in conflict: The mental health implications of contemporary geopolitical crises.

Throughout history, armed conflicts have profoundly affected individuals and societies, with recent events in Ukraine, the Middle East, and beyond bringing into sharp focus the severe mental health and humanitarian consequences of geopolitical crises. Such situations often result in mass fatalities, destruction, displacement, forced migration, and other critical life events. Amid these scenarios, the adverse outcomes for mental health and well-being in both the short and long term must be emphasized. As a conceivable example of the latter, the proposed concept of intergenerational trauma could have far-reaching implications. In particular, in certain regions, civilians have repeatedly experienced instances of violence and may have continually been exposed to critical life events and traumatic stress. In this context, the consequences of these events for individual well-being and global mental health will likely be registered for years to come. Accordingly, urgent help and actions to address the mental health burdens within contemporary conflicts should be accentuated in humanitarian, political, and diplomatic interventions. Equally, health policies must adopt a long-term approach to support initiatives under the purview of global and public mental health objectives.

The Relationship between Coping Strategies and State Anxiety during COVID-19 Lockdown: The Role of Perceived Emotional Intelligence

Background: The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented and unexpected change all around the globe. The long-term effects are still ongoing, especially those related to the confinement measures. The study took place during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Italy, where everyone was forced to stay home in order to reduce the spread of the virus. The aim was to investigate the role of perceived emotional intelligence abilities (PEI) in coping with COVID-19-related anxiety. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was employed, and this study used an online survey launched through social networks, inviting adults to participate. The participants anonymously completed a three-scale online measurement of self-reported emotional abilities, coping strategies (approach and avoidance), and state anxiety towards COVID-19. Results: perceived emotional intelligence and approach coping significantly predicted state anxiety. In addition, perceived emotional intelligence mediated the relationship between approach coping and state anxiety. Conclusions: the study highlights the positive role of perceived emotional abilities in dealing with the unprecedented event represented by the COVID-19 pandemic, and in particular, in coping with anxiety related to lockdown and confinement. Their results highlight the importance of fostering emotional intelligence for navigating critical life events.

Older adults coping with critical life events - results of the revised demoralization scale in a representative sample of older adulthood.

High suicide rates in older adults are a relevant public health concern. Social isolation or widowhood as well as physical decline play a crucial role for suicidality in older adulthood. Previous evidence suggested that demoralization is an important risk factor for suicide. Whether demoralization is a relevant phenomenon in older adulthood which possibly could account for high suicide rates remains unclear. Demoralization Scale II (DS-II) scores assessed in a survey of the German general population were investigated with respect to older adults (aged ≥ 65 years). DS-II scores were compared between older (≥ 65 years) and younger (< 65 years) adulthood and between young-old (65-74y), middle-old (75-84y), and old-old (85+y) individuals. We tested the impact of sociodemographic factors on DS-II scores within older adults. The sample comprised N = 545 adults ≥ 65 years and N = 1922 adults < 65 years. DS-II scores increased in older compared to younger adults (F(1,2465) = 6.1; p = 0.013; d = 0.09) and further from young-old to old-old (Mdiff = 2.7; 95% CI 0.45, 5.46; p = 0.034). One-fourth of individuals ≥ 65 years and almost half of old-old individuals reported DS-II scores above the cut-off > 5. Living with a partner protected from demoralization in old-old individuals. This study provides first evidence for an increased rate of demoralization in very old adults, in particular women, which is partly related to partnership status. We suggest that demoralization is considered asacrucialentity in older adulthood which can be missed by standard psychological screenings.

Psychophysiological states of elite athletes after critical life events

Background and Study Aim. Military conflicts are a stress factor that provokes negative changes in the mental state of people. But, how susceptible are athletes to post-traumatic disorders at the level of psychophysiological functions? The purpose is to study the psychophysiological state of the elite athletes after critical life events related to the war in Ukraine. Material and Methods. Twelve elite female fencers, aged 18-23 years and members of the National Team of Ukraine, were examined. Their mental condition was assessed using the Lüscher color test, neurodynamic functions were evaluated with an anticipation test, cognitive characteristics through a decision-making test, and levels of anxiety were also measured. The psychophysiological state of the fencers was studied both before and after six months of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine. Results. The results indicated changes in the mental state of fencers under military conditions. Six months after the onset of the war, elite fencers exhibited signs of mental stress and a decreased resistance to stress. According to the obtained results, during the war, athletes showed a predominance of excitation processes over inhibition processes. The study revealed a deterioration in performance on decision-making tests and a decreased ability to perceive visual information in fencers six months into the war. As a compensatory mechanism for the reduced ability to process visual stimuli under conditions of information overload, a decrease in impulsivity among fencers was observed. Research on anxiety demonstrated that, over the six months of war compared to peacetime, trait anxiety among athletes significantly increased. Conclusions. Significant impacts of military actions on the psychophysiological state of elite athletes have been observed. This deterioration in mental state, along with decreases in neurodynamic and cognitive functions and an increase in personal anxiety levels, calls for the development and implementation of specialized psychological support programs. Such programs should aim to bolster athletes' resilience to stressful situations. The importance of accounting for psychophysiological aspects in the training of athletes within conflict zones is underscored, providing a basis for further research in this field.

Psychometric evaluation of the patient health questionnaire stress scale

The “Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)” is a screening instrument, designed for time-efficient detection and severity assessment of depression, anxiety, and other syndromes in medical settings. Besides the questions on psychological symptoms, there are items on psychosocial functioning, on stressors and critical life events. However, for the stress items there are no psychometric properties available until now. The present study is thought to investigate item characteristics, internal consistency as well as factorial and construct validity of the stress scale of the PHQ. A representative sample of the general population of Germany was collected by a demography consulting company (USUMA, Berlin). Per random-route procedure, households and members of the households were selected. The sample was representative for the German community regarding age, gender, and education. In this investigation the following questionnaires were administered: PHQ-Stress, Questions on Life Satisfaction Modules (FLZ-M), Type-D Scale-14 (DS14). The sample included N = 2396 participants with mean age of 48.50 (SD = 17.75; range = 14 to 92) and 55.2 % being female. Reliability of the PHQ stress scale was acceptable (ω = 0.776), but some factor loadings were comparatively low. Model fit indices showed mixed results, some indicating unacceptable and some indicating acceptable fit of the 10-item stress scale of the PHQ. Correlations with related constructs demonstrated the scale's convergent validity. The results of this validation study indicate that the PHQ stress scale, which provides a one-dimensional total stress score, is a valid, good practical and reliable self-report instrument for assessing the severity of psychosocial stress.

Overindebtedness, unemployment, and poor mental health - and the role of sense of control: a population-based Swiss study.

Both overindebtedness and unemployment are critical life events that can result in or lead to poor mental health. What is less known is that the two partly interrelated events frequently go along with a feeling of loss or lack of control in life, which could be the main reason why they are associated with poor mental health. This has not been examined in previous research, particularly not in this combination. This study used and merged two cross-sectional data sets. Data collected in 2019 on 219 overindebted clients of the four official debt advisory centers in the Canton of Zurich were linked with a comparable subsample of 1,997 respondents from the Swiss Health Survey of 2017. The entire study population covered 2,216 adult individuals living in the Canton of Zurich. The prevalence of no or low sense of control, medium to high psychological distress, and moderate to major depression was much higher among the 44 solely unemployed (36/30/12%), the 189 solely overindebted (73/83/53%), and particularly among the 30 unemployed and overindebted (93/97/60%) than among all 1,953 other survey participants (21/13/7%). Unemployment, overindebtedness, and a (resulting) lack or loss of control were all found to be strong risk factors for the two mental health outcomes under study. Associations, or rather negative health effects, were partly but not fully mediated by the sense of control. Overindebtedness much more strongly predicted psychological distress (ß = -0.37) and depression (ß = 0.17) than unemployment (ß = -0.05/0.01). The sense of control turned out to be an independent explanatory factor for poor mental health and even the strongest of all (ß = 0.49/-0.59). Improving a person's control beliefs could be a promising measure for preventing mental health disorders in general and in people who are unemployed and/or overindebted in particular.

Milestone Moments: Community Violence and Women's Life‐Course Transitions in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Guatemala

AbstractDeadly violence has drastically increased in Latin America, posing a serious threat to women's sexual and reproductive health. Previous research has documented both increases and declines in youth‐to‐adulthood transitions associated with exposure to violence globally. However, there has been a lack of comparative studies focusing on multiple life‐course transitions. This study investigated the impact of community violence on women's life‐course transitions in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Guatemala. Drawing on nationally representative surveys and homicide statistics, fixed effects models are employed to estimate the correlation between women's exposure to community violence and the intensity, timing, and sequencing of their critical life events: first cohabitation and childbirth. The results revealed that exposure to violence was associated with an increase in the quantum and tempo of transitions to first cohabitation and birth in Colombia. Competing risk models showed that community violence correlated with the sequencing of cohabitation and birth in the Dominican Republic, as identified by an increase in precohabiting fertility. There was suggestive but inconclusive evidence of an association between community violence and transitions to first birth in Guatemala. In conclusion, community violence indeed predicts women's youth‐to‐adulthood transitions in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and potentially Guatemala, with repercussions for the subsequent life experiences of individuals and entire cohorts.

A Review on the Utilization of Herbarium Data in Phenological Research Addressing Climate Change Implications

In recent years, the profound impact of climate change on biodiversity has become increasingly evident, with significant consequences for critical life events in the natural world. It underscores the significant influence of climate variations on seasonal life events within the biotic environment of flora, such as blooming response, leaf growth, leaf senescence and fruit ripening. These phenological shifts, particularly in temperate and tropical ecosystems, serve as vital indicators of climatic changes. This review study delves into the intricate relationship of herbarium data for bridging the gap in plant phenological observation for the investigations on climatic change. This comprehensive literature review of 30 key research papers published in the past two decades, which focus on the utility of herbarium specimens as tools to document phenological changes, was critically analysed in this research study. Long-term observation of phenological data by various phenological observation networks has paved the way for advanced environmental analysis in climatic change studies. However, despite the importance of phenological data from field observation, its collection and long-term observation records, present challenges, emphasizing the need for spatiotemporal depth of phenological data. A noticeable gap in field data collection has hindered various studies reliant on plant phenological data. In response to these challenges, herbaria serve as invaluable repositories of plant specimens, boasting rich historical records spanning over a century, providing a deep spatiotemporal and taxonomic insight. Research findings indicate the fidelity of herbarium records to fill the gap in field observations, with no significant differences between the field observations and herbarium data, highlighting the reliability of herbarium data in capturing phenological information. Overcoming the challenges associated with extensive herbarium datasets, digitalization and the implementation of crowdsourcing platforms have emerged as effective strategies, granting researchers easy online access to these data. Moreover, it is evident that in Sri Lanka, there exists a research gap in utilizing herbarium data for phenological studies in climate change observation and the implementation of online accessibility for herbarium data, highlighting the need to address this gap in future research endeavours.&#x0D; &#x0D; Keywords: Climate change, Herbarium data, Biodiversity, Phenological data

Does Librarians’ Psychosocial Work Environment Matter to Research Productivity?

The study examined the influence of psychosocial work environment on the research productivity of librarians in universities in southwestern Nigeria. A descriptive survey research approach was utilised in the study. The population consisted of 363 librarians from all of southwestern Nigeria's university libraries. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings indicated that librarians' research productivity was high in of quantity of publication but low in terms of publications in Scopus/WoS. Librarians' psychosocial work environments were discovered to be psychologically and socially fit. The study concluded that librarians' research productivity was significantly positively influenced by their psychosocial work environment, and it therefore recommends that library management adhere to a planned work schedule to reduce librarian strain, and that procedures be put in place to ensure that librarians are not overly exposed to the critical life events of others.

Measuring Personality Development in the Aftermath of Critical Life Events: A Preliminary Longitudinal Mixed Methods Study

This article aims to conceptualize, operationalize, and empirically validate the concept of actual personality development in the aftermath of a Critical Life Event. Two qualitative tools have been elaborated: the Structured Critical Life Events Interview and the Coding System for Personality Development. They were empirically verified in a preliminary longitudinal mixed methods study (N = 40 participants, n = 1440 narratives) with three measurements in one year referring to the Transition Cycle (Hopson &amp; Adams, 1976). For assessing reliability the Intraclass Correlation Co­efficient (ICC) and Cronbach’s α were assessed. The convergent validity of the tools was deter­mined by correlating the results with (1) linguistic structure of participants’ verbalizations and (2) the questionnaires measuring similar behaviours and features. The research showed good psycho­metric properties of the tools. Moreover, they better identified personality growth and the specific dynamics of personality changes (positive and negative) than the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory (Tedeschi &amp; Calhoun, 1996).

Wisdom-oriented coping capacities at work in challenging times.

Critical life events affect personal and professional lives, change working conditions, and require specific coping strategies. Wisdom is a multidimensional capacity for coping with life problems. Since wisdom can best be investigated in relation to concrete settings and problems, we investigated research employees during a pandemic. Research employees are constantly occupied with uncertainty and problem-solving in their everyday work. Thus, they develop capacities for factual and problem-solving knowledge which can be applied in different situations. This study examines to what extent which wisdom capacities are applied by research personnel when dealing with changed working conditions. During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2021, researchers were asked about work-related coping capacities in an online survey. The qualitative content analysis of the free-text responses of 131 research employees was based on a multidimensional wisdom model with 12 wisdom capacities. 50% of the reported coping strategies referred to factual and problem-solving capacities, 40% to interpersonal or emotional capacities, 10% did not reflect any wisdom capacity. Associations between wise coping capacities, social behavior at work, and eudaimonic well-being emerged. The study provides concrete qualitative examples of specific behavioral capacities in which wisdom may be applied in a work setting.

The relationship between critical life events, psycho-emotional health and life satisfaction among youths: coping mechanisms and emotional regulation.

Several studies in the specialized literature have reported that events such as the death of a loved one, job loss, divorce, illness, or retirement lead to an increase in the level of stress felt, and subsequently stress affects the person on several levels of life, such as: personal, relational, social, academic and at the same time sanogenic. The present paper explored the relationship between critical life events and psycho-emotional health among youths and the manner in which this relationship is mediated by the level of life satisfaction. The data was extracted using a sample of participants (between 20 and 40 years old) from several cities in Romania, who experienced one or more critical life events during the last year. Data organization and hypothesis testing were performed using IBM SPSS 23 and jamovi programs. For this purpose we used the simple regression analysis, Pearson correlation and mediation analysis. The scales used to conduct the research were: RS-14, SRRS, ERQ, CERQ, DASS-21 and SWLS. The final sample of the study totaled 190 female and male Romanian participants aged between 20 and 40 (M = 24.45, SD = 5.27) who had experienced critical events during the last year, leading to psycho-emotional destabilization and a significantly lower level of life satisfaction. The prevalence of critical life events among these participants varied from one to five events (55.26%) and up to more than 16 critical events in the past year (2.63%). The presence of these events led to increased levels of stress, anxiety, or depression among participants. Furthermore, it appears that the presence of a high number of critical life events led to a decreased life satisfaction among participants, along with a greater tendency toward catastrophizing. Critical life events are increasingly frequent events in everyday life, and youth seems to be the period with the most changes. The research findings add to current findings about the practical implications that critical life events have on psycho-emotional health among youths. Therefore it appears to be a close relationship between critical life events, psycho-emotional health, and emotional regulation. At the same time, it seems that coping mechanisms have a central role in the level of life satisfaction among youths.