Educated Young Adults Research Articles

An Examination of the Motives for Attributing and Interpreting Deception in People with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment.

The aim of the present study was to examine how a person with amnestic mild cognitive impairment perceives the phenomenon of deception. Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) usually represents the prodromal phase of Alzheimer's disease (AD), with patients showing memory impairment but with normal activities of daily living. It was expected that aMCI patients would face difficulties in the attribution and interpretation of deceptive behavior due to deficits regarding their diagnosis. The main sample of the study consisted of 76 older adults who were patients of a daycare center diagnosed with aMCI. A sample of 55 highly educated young adults was also examined in the same experiment to qualitatively compare their performance with that of aMCI patients. Participants were assigned a scenario where a hypothetical partner (either a friend or a stranger) was engaged in a task in which the partner could lie to boost their earnings at the expense of the participant. The results showed that aMCI patients, even if they understood that something was going wrong, did not invest in interpretations of potential deception and tended to avoid searching for confirmative information related to the hypothetical lie of their partner compared to highly educated young adults. It seems that aMCI patients become somehow "innocent", and this is discussed in terms of cognitive impairment and/or socioemotional selectivity.

Nutritional knowledge attitudes and practices towards the prevention and control of COVID-19 among educated young adults in Bangladesh

Nutritional knowledge attitudes and practices towards the prevention and control of COVID-19 among educated young adults in Bangladesh

An enigma of Malaysia's low-income young adults: Mediation of financial behaviour on financial well-being and locus of control cohesion.

Young adults face many significant challenges to their financial well-being. The rising cost of living and unstable economies have impacted how they consume, manage, and save monthly income to maintain their standard of living. Hence, exploring the financial well-being of young adults in Malaysia is an intriguing and relevant research topic that deserves examination from multiple perspectives. This study aims to investigate how these three factors, namely financial knowledge and locus of control with financial behaviour as a mediator, are correlated with the financial well-being of low-income young adults in Malaysia. A total of 520 young adults from North, Central, South, East zones in Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia were randomly chosen using a multi-stage sampling technique as the sample of this study. Data in this study were obtained using a set of questionnaire-based survey through cross-sectional study and then scrutinized using IBM SPSS (Statistical Package of Social Science). This study discovered that financial knowledge, internal and external locus of control, and financial behaviour were significantly correlated with the financial well-being of low-income young adults. The findings also demonstrate that financial behaviour mediates the correlation between financial knowledge, both internal and external locus of control, and financial well-being. This study is one of the very few important studies that explore the link between financial literacy, locus of control, financial behaviour, and financial well-being among low-income young adults. This study also found an interesting and noteworthy fact regarding the impact of the minimum monthly wage policy on highly educated young adults in Malaysia, which is worth discussing and needs to be alerted to the policymakers and leaders of the country. Therefore, the findings of this study can be utilized as a starting point by policymakers, government organizations, and non-governmental organizations to create new initiatives aimed at raising financial well-being among the younger generation.

E-cigarettes: A continuing public health challenge in India despite comprehensive bans

India has introduced comprehensive e-cigarette bans focused on protecting youth from vaping-related harm. Despite these bans, educated young people appear to be a relatively high user group, although little is known about their usage patterns. The aims of the present study were to examine educated young adults’ e-cigarette-related attitudes and behaviors and their support for various e-cigarette control policies. In total, 840 tertiary-educated young adults completed an online survey. Demographic characteristics, e-cigarette and tobacco use, beliefs about e-cigarettes, exposure to e-cigarette advertising, sources of access to e-cigarettes, numbers of family members and peers who vape, and support for a range of e-cigarette policies were assessed. One-third (33%) reported never having heard of e-cigarettes/vapes, 23% reported ever using e-cigarettes, 70% reported ever using tobacco, and 8% were dual users of both e-cigarettes and tobacco. Only 8% of e-cigarette users reported daily use. Vapers sourced e-cigarettes from retail outlets (vape shops, tobacconists) and their social networks (friends, siblings). Just under two-thirds of those who were aware of e-cigarettes believed them to be harmful and to contain chemicals. Among non-users, 31% were curious about using e-cigarettes and 23% intended to use in the following year, indicating high levels of susceptibility. The results suggest that despite a complete ban, young people are still able to access e-cigarettes in India. Greater education about harms associated with vaping and more intensive monitoring and enforcement could assist in reducing uptake in relatively high-prevalence groups such as educated young adults.

Young Adults' Knowledge of State Cannabis Policy: Implications for Studying the Effects of Legalization in Vermont.

Cannabis policy evaluations commonly assume equal policy exposure across a state's population using date of implementation as the key independent variable. This study aimed to explore policy knowledge as another measure of exposure and describe the sociodemographic, cognitive, and behavioral correlates of cannabis policy knowledge in young adults in Vermont. Data are from the PACE Vermont Study (Spring 2019), an online cohort study of Vermonters (12-25). Bivariate and multivariable analyses estimated prevalence ratios (PR) for correlations between knowledge of Vermont's cannabis policy (allowed possession for adults 21 and older) and sociodemographics, cannabis use, and harm perceptions in 1,037 young adults (18-25). Overall, 60.1% of participants correctly described the state's cannabis policy. Being younger, Hispanic, non-White race, and less educated were inversely correlated with policy knowledge. Ever (PR=1.37; 95% CI 1.16-1.63) and past-30-day cannabis use (PR=1.27; 95% CI 1.12-1.45) were positively correlated with policy knowledge. Policy knowledge was more prevalent among young adults who perceived slight risk of harm from weekly cannabis use (vs. no risk; aPR=1.28; 95% CI 1.11-1.48) or agreed that regular cannabis use early in life can negatively affect attention (vs. disagree; aPR=1.55; 95% CI 1.22-1.97). Findings suggest that 40% of Vermont young adults in the study were unaware of current state cannabis policy and that policy knowledge was lower in younger, less educated, Hispanic, and non-White young adults. Future research should explore using a measure of policy knowledge as an exposure or moderator variable to better quantify the effects of changes in cannabis legal status on perceptions and use in young people.

Behaviour Response Among Educated Young Adults Towards COVID-19 Pandemic in Malaysia

Introduction: The new norm of the COVID-19 pandemic may alter the behaviour of an individual either in a positive or negative health-seeking behaviour. The higher education institution may be fully operating someday and students need to practice positive health-seeking behaviour to prevent transmission of the COVID-19 virus. This study aims to identify the behavioural responses of educated young adults towards their health during COVID-19. This study also aims to determine the relationship between health-seeking behaviour and perceived risk towards COVID-19 infection in the future and to determine the association between educational background and health-seeking behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted by distributing the online survey questionnaire adapted from a previous study in 2012 by Masuri et al. that assessed behaviour response towards H1N1 pandemic. 369 participants were included in this study. The data was analysed statistically by using SPSS version 26. Results: The majority of young educated adults (90.8%) showed positive health-seeking behaviour. The result showed no significant differences (p > 0.05) in health-seeking behaviours and perceived risk towards COVID-19 infection. A significant association was found between educational background; educational level (p= 0.015) and courses (p= 0.002) with health-seeking behaviour. Conclusion: This study shows that government and schools/universities/institutions need to provide effective health promotion programs for educated young adults.

Assessment of Respiratory Morbidity and Epidemiological Survey of Tobacco Smokers and Non-Smokers Among Educated Young Adults in Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan: A Case Study

Tobacco smoking among adults have become a serious health concern worldwide due to its increasing addicting nature. Tobacco smoke contains highly harmful gaseous and volatile chemical substances that impair the respiratory system and reduce lung function capacity. The study's primary objectives were to investigate the cause of smoking, behaviour of smokers, social responsibility, family history of the smoker, and significant respiratory health problems among young educated adults. The survey was conducted with some pre-framed questionnaires and screening relevant to the subjects for our study. The respiratory health assessment was carried out by questionnaire-based personal interviews for different respiratory and non-respiratory health symptoms. Subsequently, the lung function or pulmonary function test (LFT or PFT) for selected individuals was performed, revealing the lung performances of smokers and non-smokers. The LFT or PFT test predicts the normal and abnormal breathing patterns of exposed and non-exposed studied groups. The significant findings indicated that curiosity (72%) and displaying of smartness were the leading cause of smoking in early adulthood (16 to 20 years). Family history of smoking also influenced young adults to initiate regular smoking. Smoking within thirty minutes after waking up in the morning was - a habit in 52% of smokers. Findings revealed that 50% of the heavy smokers smoke 11-15 units daily. The average weekly expenditure for the smoking materials was INR 100 to 150 (26.32%) rupees for smokers. Spirometric indices such as forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), percentage forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1%), and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), showed a reduced performance of lungs in smokers as compared to their fellow non-smokers. This study has focused on the smoking behaviour of educated young adults and revealed the presence of different respiratory symptoms in smokers than non-smokers, which is an immerging health issue. The study revealed that smokers grouped are more susceptible to lung diseases than non-smokers in the future due to their reduced lung function capacity compared to non-smokers.

Green mobility at home, green mobility at tourism destinations: A cross-country study of transport modal choices of educated young adults

Fostering environmentally friendly transport solutions for visitors lies at the core of the strategies aimed at implementing sustainable tourism destinations. In this sense, this study aims to identify the determinants of green mobility choices taken by young adults during their holidays. It is based on a survey proposed to Italian and Spanish University students. The study demonstrates the intrinsic relationship between the transport mode choices at home and at tourism destinations. The correlation of other variables that could cause bias on mobility choices at tourism destinations is tested (visits undertaken, and transport mode used to reach the destination). The use of bivariate probit models allows to disentangle that male gender, coastal destinations, and car ownership lead to more unsustainable mobility at tourism destination. In contrast, the results indicate that students visiting top international destinations are more likely to present a greener mobility.

Social media for sustainability education: gaining knowledge and skills into actions for sustainable living

ABSTRACT Today, social media has been taking an increasingly expansive, invasive, and persuasive role in shaping the individuals’ – and hence – the families’ and society’s behavior, actions, habits, consumption, and production patterns. This paper presents findings from a study focusing on developing a strategy to change people’s behavior towards sustainability and turn them into actions by utilizing education for sustainability, pervasive design, digital media, and gamification concepts and methods. To this end, first, a survey is conducted to understand the current knowledge, awareness, and responses of a representative segment of society in Doha, Qatar on sustainability issues, concerns, and problems. Second, a social experiment is performed through a social media account in order to increase people’s knowledge, awareness, skills, and actions for sustainable living. Finally, a follow-up survey is performed to assess and understand the outcomes of the social experiment (Instagram account campaign) among its followers. This study aims to learn the effectiveness of the proposed social media experiment for a sustainable lifestyle in Qatar among college-level educated young adults. In conclusion, following the social media campaign, the results show that 49% of followers learned more about sustainable living and 25% developed at least one sustainable habit in two months. Thus, this study demonstrates the potential of using social media, persuasive design, and sustainability education concepts and methods to change people’s behavior into sustainable actions to achieve a more sustainable living, society, and world.

Mobility restrictions and mental health among young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador

ObjectiveTo study the association between mobility restriction and mental health outcomes among Ecuadorian young adults. MethodThe present is a cross-sectional study that included a non-probabilistic sample of mostly highly educated young adults. Socio-demographic and mental health data were collected through an online survey, between May and June 2020, when confinement was mandatory in Ecuador. Data on mobility was extracted from Google Community Mobility Reports. Four aspects of the participants’ mental health were evaluated: eating behavior (emotional eating), depression, sleep quality and sense of coherence as a proxy of resilience, using previously validated instruments. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression models in R. ResultsSample included 8426 young adults, with a mean age of 22.85 (standard deviation: 4.43), most of whom were women (n=5943, 70.53%). During mandatory confinement, in Ecuador mobility in general was reduced by nearly 50% in comparison to January/February, 2020. Less healthy eating behavior, depression, worse sleep quality and lower sense of coherence were associated with higher mobility restriction to workplaces and groceries/pharmacies. Women and youngsters more often showed depression, less healthy eating behavior, worse quality of sleep and lower sense of coherence in comparison with men and older respondents. ConclusionsMobility restrictions during COVID-19 pandemic were associated with worse self-reported mental health in a sample of young highly-educated Ecuadorian adults. Women and youngsters were the most affected. Our findings highlight the need of implementing health promotion measures directed to ameliorate the effects of confinement on mental health, focusing on women and youngsters.

Usability of Visual Analogue Scales in Assessing Human Perception of Sound with University Students Using a Web-Based Tablet Interface

Response scales in auditory perception assessment are critical for capturing the true responses of listeners. Despite its impact on data, response scales have received the least attention in auditory perception assessment. In this study, the usability of visual analogue scales for auditory perception assessment was investigated. Five response scales (a unipolar visual analogue scale–negated to regular, a unipolar visual analogue scale—regular to negated, a bipolar visual analogue scale–positive to negative, a bipolar visual analogue scale—negative to positive, and a unipolar 11-point scale (ISO/TS 15666:2021)) for auditory perception assessment are presented. Music and traffic noise were presented to 60 university students at two different levels, i.e., 45 and 65 dBA, respectively. A web-based experimental design was implemented, and tablet pads were provided to the respondents to record their responses. The unipolar 11-point scale required the longest response time, followed by the two unipolar visual analogue scales and two bipolar visual analogue scales with statistical significance. All response scales used in this study achieved statistical reliability and sensitivity for the auditory perception assessment. Among the five response scales, the bipolar visual analogue scale (negative to positive) ranked first in reliability over repeated measures, exhibited sensitivity in differentiating sound sources, and was preferred by the respondents under the conditions of the present study. None of the respondents preferred the unipolar 11-point scale. The visual analogue scale was favoured over the traditional unipolar 11-point scale by young educated adults in a mobile-based testing environment. Moreover, the bipolar visual analogue scale demonstrated the highest reliability and sensitivity, and it was preferred the most by the respondents. The semantic labelling direction from negated to regular, or from negative to positive, is preferred over its opposite counterpart. Further research is necessary to investigate the use of response scales for the general public including children and the elderly, as well as that of semantic adjectives and their counterparts for auditory perception assessment.

Everyday Geography and Service Accessibility: The Contours of Disadvantage in Relation to Mental Health

This article investigates everyday geography of young adults and the unequal importance that spatial accessibility to a range of urban services might have for their mental health to identify those who are truly disadvantaged. Whereas the literature on the socially differentiated vulnerability to place effects has traditionally focused on the neighborhood of residence, we consider daily activity locations to explore whether socially disadvantaged populations are more exposed to (differential exposure) or more affected by (differential effect) low spatial accessibility to services compared to their more advantaged counterparts. Data came from 1,983 young adults (between eighteen and twenty-five years old) living in Montreal, Canada. We observed that less educated young adults had lower spatial accessibility to services in their activity space than their more educated counterparts but also that they were more vulnerable to having lower numbers of services in their surroundings: Lower service accessibility in the activity space was associated with poorer mental health among less educated young adults but not among the more educated. We suggest three sociospatial mechanisms related to (1) place experiences, (2) flexibility in spatial behavior, and (3) rules regulating actual access to services to explore why the “objective” lack of services close to residential and activity locations might represent a greater burden to more socially disadvantaged people.

The roles of family and friends in the immobility decisions of university graduates staying in a peripheral urban area in the Netherlands.

Highly educated individuals constitute great assets for regional development and economic growth. Nevertheless, young university graduates are relatively geographically mobile and less likely to stay in peripheral regions. Based on semi‐structured, life‐calendar interviews, this study explored the immobility decisions of graduates who have stayed in a peripheral urban area in the Netherlands where they completed their university education. The study specifically focused on the roles of family and friends in the staying processes of these young adults. The results indicate that the decision to stay was frequently and consciously re‐evaluated by some, whereas for others, it resulted from a ‘lack of triggers’ for moving elsewhere. Notably, the interviews revealed that family and friends act as more than motives for staying or deterrents to migration. On various occasions, family and friends had played crucial roles as advisors, influencers, triggers, exemplars and facilitators in the staying processes of highly educated young adults.

Incentive effects of cash benefit among low-skilled young adults: Applying a regression discontinuity design

In 2014, the Danish Government implemented an active labour market reform directed at unemployed young adults under 30 years of age with low educational qualifications. The reform replaced the (unemployment) cash benefits with a lower education benefit for many of the unemployed aged under 30 and obliged the low-skilled in this group to enrol in a regular general or vocational (VET) education program. This paper exploits the sharp discontinuity that occurs at age 30 to estimate the joint effect of higher benefits and the cessation of educational obligations on the share receiving cash benefits and the share enrolled in education. We estimate the effects by applying a regression discontinuity design. We report results for the group of low educated young adults and for subgroups facing different economic incentives. The results establish that reaching age 30 creates an incentive to apply for cash benefits, and we find strong evidence that a significant increase in the share of cash benefit recipients relates to a corresponding reduction in the share of young adults enrolled in education. When including subgroups the size of the effect increases, and the results demonstrate that the effects are strongest among previous education benefit recipients. This indicates that the results are mainly driven mainly by individuals reverting to cash benefits.

Enhancement motivations for using prescription drugs among young adults in Nigeria

BackgroundThe desire for enhancement is a common motive for non-medical use of prescription drugs in Western countries. Little is known about the factors that motivate use in non-Western contexts. MethodsThe study explores access to prescription drugs and the motivations for using them among educated young adults in a city located in Anambra State, South-Eastern Nigeria. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 participants aged 23–29 years. Data were thematically analysed using NVivo 12 Software. ResultsThe data indicate that prescription drugs are widely available and easy to access without a prescription in the unregistered ‘pharmacies’ and medicine shops that form part of Nigeria's informal healthcare system. Social networks are also a source of drugs. Participants shared detailed perspectives on their use of prescription drugs, revealing that codeine, Rohypnol, and high doses of tramadol are used to enhance performance in several social life domains. These drugs were described as enhancing performance and productivity in the workplace, and were taken by participants working as labourers and sales representatives. Male participants also shared accounts of using high doses of tramadol to improve stamina and skill in sports. Some participants took Rohypnol to enhance their creative and academic performance. Participants stated that drug use enabled them to meet the pressures associated with work, academia, and parental expectations. ConclusionThe findings suggest that prescription drugs are being strategically and instrumentally deployed by users to enhance different domains of social life. This is driven by users’ experiences of the drugs’ bodily effects, and it is supported by a context in which self-medication and informal healthcare are common. Participants’ reasons for seeking drug-induced enhancement reflect sociocultural factors within Nigeria and some West African countries, such as employment scarcity and the championing of sporting prowess. The findings can be used to inform the design of tailored approaches to reduce the harms presented by the non-medical use of pharmaceuticals among young adults.

Trust Change in Information Technology Products

ABSTRACT We examine why trust change occurs when potential users first encounter news about a specific technology. We propose personal perceptions and three cognitive outcomes—attention, sensemaking, and threshold—affect trust change in educated young adults surveyed regarding a technology product. We find the outcomes of attention, sensemaking, and threshold positively affect trust change, while most hypothesized personal perceptions of the technology (e.g., reputation) do not predict trust change. For research, this implies scholars should focus more on cognitive outcomes of mental news brief processing than on technology perceptions. Our results also imply that research should examine other key dependent variables the way we studied trust change (e.g., “intention-to-use change”—to produce a more dynamic picture of how people adopt a technology). For practice, our data imply that tech companies can counter initial bad news about a technology by quickly providing strong positive news items to repair trust in that technology.

Cognitive enhancement drug use among resident physicians: Prevalence and motivations for use - results from a survey

Background: Non-medical use of prescription drugs for the enhancement of cognitive functioning has gained popularity in recent years, especially among young educated adults. To our knowledge, no previous study investigated this phenomenon among resident physicians.Objective: To analyze cognitive enhancement drugs use motivations and patterns among resident physicians.Methods: A survey and statistical analysis regarding the use of drugs traditionally prescribed for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: stimulants, amphetamines and modafinil.Participants: 1,453 residents who took their written residency exam in the summer of 2017. The response rate was 32.3%.Results: 28.1% of responders reported past use, with 73.67% of them reporting use without a related medical diagnosis. Almost half of the users (47.1%) acquired the drug with a prescription, but without a diagnosis of a related medical disorder. The first use was predominantly during residency (54.3%), with 45% reporting it as related to the residency exam.Factors found to positively impact non-medical use include: declaring undiagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, fear of failing the exam, a belief that more than 30% of other examinees take cognitive enhancements drugs, and a learning disability diagnosis. Self-reports of being a competitive person and being a parent, were negatively correlated with non-medical use.Conclusions: The use of drugs that are taken traditionally for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is common among resident physicians, both with and without related medical indication. Interestingly, factors associated with the fear of being “left behind” increase non-medical use and not the desire to succeed.

Role of Parental Income and its Implications for Unemployed Educated Youth: A Case Study of Turbatkech, Balouchistan

Parental household income plays an essential role in the personality development and well-being of its members. The study aims to discover the perception of unemployed educated youth towards the tradition of cousin marriages. The study was conducted TurbatKech, southern part of Balochistan, by employing qualitative research design. Data for this purpose was collected through qualitative techniques from 30 unemployed educated young adults who were selected through purposive sampling. Economic dependency and financial constraints are considered the key driving forces among unemployed educated youth that persuade them to prefer consanguinity. Furthermore, caste system within the society induces individual to prefer their own blood while making spouse selection. The present study illustrates lack of economic independence among educated youth. In order to bring positive behavioral change among youth what matters the most is to give them socio-economic independence and alternatives other than marrying them off

Predicting adventure seeking of young adults: The role of risk, innovativeness and status consumption

Extreme sports continue to grow and attract young adults. Research is needed to better understand what motivates athletes to participate in the adventure seeking of extreme sports beyond the need for thrills. The results of a survey utilizing a sample of young educated adults, those more likely to be able to fund adventure seeking, finds that those who are more innovative in the domain of extreme sports and who are less risk averse are more likely to participate in adventure seeking activities. The motivation to consume for status plays a key mediating role between innovativeness, risk aversion, and adventure seeking which suggests that status consumption is a vital individual difference variable in understanding and reaching the adventure seeking young adult. Furthermore, there is no difference by gender in the model tested. The implications for sport marketing managers and future research are discussed.

Restrictions and Barriers Confronted by Mexican Americans with Unauthorized Immigrant Family Members

ABSTRACT This research study investigates the experience of college educated Mexican-American young adults (ages 18–29) with an unauthorized immigrant nuclear or extended family member. Of the 11 participants, eight are U.S. citizens (either naturalized or U.S. born citizens) and three currently had or were in the process of gaining protection through DACA at the time of the study. A semi-structured interview protocol was utilized for each in-depth interview. The 11 interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed through thematic analysis. Findings emphasize the structural barriers to education, health care, job opportunities, and travel that affect unauthorized Mexican immigrants and their family members.