Educated Young Adults Research Articles

Chasing rainbows: How many educational qualifications do young people need to acquire meaningful, ongoing work?

The increasingly complex relationship between educational qualifications and employment is an integral, yet little-explored dimension of the labour market developments that have come to be referred to as the ‘gig economy’. This article explores the changing meaning and relevance of education through an analysis of young people’s employment outcomes in terms of employment status, having a job in their field of study and job satisfaction. It shows that while higher levels of education do provide some protection from unemployment, the relationship is murky. A relatively large proportion of highly educated young adults are experiencing underemployment and precarious work. Young women are less engaged in the labour market. Furthermore, those with secure jobs do not necessarily find them meaningful and those with meaningful jobs are not necessarily in secure employment. For many young people, using their educational qualifications to find security in work is a bit like ‘chasing rainbows’.

Fearing Such a Lady: University Expansion, Underemployment, and the Hypergamy Ideal in Kampala, Uganda.

In Uganda, the cultural norm of hypergamy, which dictates that husbands should have higher economic and social status than wives, is pervasive and influential. Yet hypergamy has recently been challenged by women's gains in education relative to men and by an unemployment crisis leaving educated young men unable to find steady work. Using interviews with recent university graduates in Kampala, we investigate how highly-educated young adults navigate frictions between the hypergamy ideal and these recent transformations in gendered status. Some women reduce the salience of hypergamy by preventing their relationships from becoming serious, while other women intentionally perform the role of submissive housewife while preserving their autonomy. Men reframe their romantic circumstances to underplay their inability to achieve economic hypergamy, portraying educated women as undesirable and characterizing their partners as non-materialistic. These findings reveal how demographic and economic changes reconfigure relationship norms, gendered power dynamics, and family formation processes.

Fertility decisions in transition: young adults’ perceptions on fertility three decades apart in Spain

ABSTRACT The aim of this unique study is to analyze the generational change in perceptions regarding fertility decisions between young Spanish adults in the mid-1980s and young Spanish adults in the early 2010s and to test the extent to which the theoretical perspectives on fertility are supported by individual narratives over time. For nearly thirty years, Spain has had low fertility levels that contrast with the persistent ideal family size of two children. However, the literature has barely explored individuals’ perceptions of fertility decision-making over time. This paper seizes the exceptional opportunity to analyze 97 in-depth personal interviews of highly educated young adults in urban Spain from two independent studies conducted in 1985 and 2012. The results indicate that although the value change associated with the second demographic transition remains over time, the changes in age norms and partnership formation norms underlie the main differences between the two generations. Economic uncertainty and the lack of support for work-life balance stand out as persistent structural factors that influence the fertility decisions in both samples. In addition, the respondents’ narratives confirm that the transition of gender-role norms towards greater egalitarianism remains unfinished. By assigning value to the perceptions of individuals, this study contributes to the understanding of how the normative framework and meaning of childbearing have changed under the rubric of the macrolevel theoretical perspectives that explain fertility decline.

E-Cigarettes are More Addictive than Traditional Cigarettes—A Study in Highly Educated Young People

E-cigarettes are often considered less addictive than traditional cigarettes. This study aimed to assess patterns of e-cigarette use and to compare nicotine dependence among cigarette and e-cigarette users in a group of highly educated young adults. From 3002 healthy adults, a representative group of 30 cigarette smokers, 30 exclusive e-cigarette users, and 30 dual users were recruited. A 25-item questionnaire was used to collect information related to the patterns and attitudes towards the use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes. The Fagerström test for nicotine dependence (FTND) and its adapted version for e-cigarettes were used to analyze nicotine dependence in each of the groups. The nicotine dependence levels measured with FTND were over two times higher among e-cigarette users (mean 3.5) compared to traditional tobacco smokers (mean 1.6; p < 0.001). Similarly, among dual users, nicotine dependence levels were higher when using an e-cigarette (mean 4.7) compared to using traditional cigarettes (mean 3.2; p = 0.03). Habits and behaviors associated with the use of e-cigarettes did not differ significantly (p > 0.05) between exclusive e-cigarette users and dual users. The findings suggest that e-cigarettes may have a higher addictive potential than smoked cigarettes among young adults.

Who, what, where and how much: tDCS and training effects on working memory

Working memory (WM) is strictly capacity limited and subject to age-related decline. Because WM is a fundamental executive function essential for most cognitive tasks many people are interested in expanding and/or stabilizing WM function. Whereas WM training alone provides mixed results, incorporating transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) offers promise across young and older adults. In several within-subjects designs we found that adults benefit from anodal tDCS applied to left or right PFC compared to sham tDCS. However, in single-session per montage studies only subsets of participants benefit. Notably, better educated older adults and higher WM capacity young adults benefit from left or right frontal tDCS, whereas lower WM capacity older adults benefit from lateralized right frontoparietal tDCS. Importantly from an applied perspective, longitudinal designs reveal consistent benefits across participants. Our data indicate that tDCS appears to prolong the return to baseline performance after WM training ends. We see near and far transfer in these multi-session designs suggesting effects have lasting effects on the neural networks underlying WM. There are optimization challenges associated with the large parameter space associated with tDCS. For instance, our data show that tDCS intensity can elicit non-linear benefits to WM indicating that more intensity is not always better. An added layer of complexity is that tDCS intensity interacts with a common single nucleotide point mutation in the catechol-o-methlytransferase (COMT) gene that metabolizes prefrontal dopamine and modulates WM capacity. To complicate matters, these interactions depend on WM task demands: visual or spatial. To optimize longitudinal tDCS for broad usage we must understand by what mechanism individual differences and genetics contribute to the lasting behavioral effects. In summary, once the contributions of individual differences (who), task (what), stimulation site (where) and intensity (how much) are identified, the translational value to a particular individual might be predictable.

Language anxiety in Chinese dialects and Putonghua among college students in mainland China: the effects of sociobiographical and linguistic variables

ABSTRACTThis paper examined language anxiety (LA) in Chinese dialects and Putonghua among college students in mainland China and explored the links between their LA in the first language and a range of sociobiographical variables (i.e. gender and geographical background) as well as linguistic variables (i.e. mother tongue, age of onset of acquisition, context of learning, self-perceived oral proficiency, and frequency of use). Participants were 778 Beijing university students who speak Chinese dialects and Putonghua. Statistical analyses revealed that participants reported significantly higher levels of LA in dialects than in Putonghua across a variety of situations. Geographical background and gender had scattered effects on LA in Putonghua and in dialects. Early bilinguals whose mother tongue were both a dialect and Putonghua reported the least LA in both. Later age of onset and acquisition of Putonghua in an instructed context were linked to increased LA in Putonghua. The negative relationships between self-perceived oral proficiency, frequency of use and LA were stronger in Putonghua than in dialects. The higher levels of LA in dialects combined with their language practices suggest a relatively lower confidence in the use of dialects among this group of highly educated young Chinese adults.

Effect and Process Evaluation of a Smartphone App to Promote an Active Lifestyle in Lower Educated Working Young Adults: Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

BackgroundMobile technologies have great potential to promote an active lifestyle in lower educated working young adults, an underresearched target group at a high risk of low activity levels.ObjectiveThe objective of our study was to examine the effect and process evaluation of the newly developed evidence- and theory-based smartphone app “Active Coach” on the objectively measured total daily physical activity; self-reported, context-specific physical activity; and self-reported psychosocial variables among lower educated working young adults.MethodsWe recruited 130 lower educated working young adults in this 2-group cluster randomized controlled trial and assessed outcomes at baseline, posttest (baseline+9 weeks), and follow-up (posttest+3 months). Intervention participants (n=60) used the Active Coach app (for 9 weeks) combined with a Fitbit activity tracker. Personal goals, practical tips, and educational facts were provided to encourage physical activity. The control group received print-based generic physical activity information. Both groups wore accelerometers for objective measurement of physical activity, and individual interviews were conducted to assess the psychosocial variables and context-specific physical activity. Furthermore, intervention participants were asked process evaluation questions and generalized linear mixed models and descriptive statistics were applied.ResultsNo significant intervention effects were found for objectively measured physical activity, self-reported physical activity, and self-reported psychosocial variables (all P>.05). Intervention participants evaluated the Active Coach app and the combined use with the Fitbit wearable as self-explanatory (36/51, 70.6%), user friendly (40/51, 78.4%), and interesting (34/51, 66.7%). Throughout the intervention, we observed a decrease in the frequency of viewing graphical displays in the app (P<.001); reading the tips, facts, and goals (P<.05); and wearing the Fitbit wearable (P<.001). Few intervention participants found the tips and facts motivating (10/41, 24.4%), used them to be physically active (8/41, 19.6%), and thought they were tailored to their lifestyle (7/41, 17.1%).ConclusionsThe lack of significant intervention effects might be due to low continuous user engagement. Advice or feedback that was not perceived as adequately tailored and the difficulty to compete with many popular commercial apps on young people’s smartphones may be responsible for a decrease in the engagement. A stand-alone app does not seem sufficient to promote an active lifestyle among lower educated working young adults; therefore, multicomponent interventions (using both technological and human support), as well as context-specific sensing to provide tailored advice, might be needed in this population.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT02948803; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/results/NCT02948803 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/71OPFwaoA)

Allergic tendencies are associated with larger gray matter volumes

Allergic tendencies are associated with important cognitive and physiological factors, such as intelligence and mathematical abilities. Allergies are widely prevalent, especially in modern life, and the reason for its association with important cognitive variables is an intriguing scientific question. However, despite the unique characteristics of cognitive correlates of allergy, the anatomical correlates of allergy remain unknown. The aim of this study was to identify the associations between regional gray matter volume (rGMV) and allergic tendencies in young adults. In a study cohort of 1,219 healthy, educated young adults, we identified a positive correlation between total allergic tendency and rGMV in large anatomical clusters that mainly encompassed the dorsal part of the cerebral neocortex, right anterior insula, and cerebellum. Furthermore,both mean rGMV of the entire part of these clusters and total allergenic tendency showed a significant positive correlation with spatial ability. These results suggest the link among allergic tendencies, larger rGMV, and the better spatial ability in healthy, educated young adults.

‘Doing gender and gender equality’ through emotional expressions during a research interview. Views of highly educated Swedish young adults

The aim of this article is to contribute to the knowledge on how concepts of gender and gender equality are constructed within research interviews, deepening our understanding of the underlying gender system in society. We focus on emotions and emotional processes expressed during interviews on work and family when specific questions originating in the World Value Survey were asked. Our study is based on interviews with highly educated women and men, in two metropolitan areas of Sweden. In this article, we seek to shed more light on how incorporating emotional expressions and the evaluation of these emotions can grasp the construction of gender and gender equality. We highlight the range of emotional expressions that appear during the interviews, differences in their usage by women and men and the links to the construction of gender and gender equality. We explore how the specific situation of the interview influences ‘doing gender and gender equality’ through emotions. Our results reveal that men and women use similar but also different emotional expressions in conforming to the gender equality norm. Men and women, interviewers and interviewees agreed on this norm, but the ways they ’performed’ the norm are gender based.

Refractive error is associated with intracranial volume

Myopia is part of the spectrum of refractive error. Myopia is associated with psychometric intelligence and, the link between brain anatomy and myopia has been hypothesized. Here we aimed to identify the associations between brain structures and refractive error in developed young adults. In a study cohort of 1,319 normal educated young adults, the refractive error showed a significant negative correlation with total intracranial volume and total cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volume but not with total gray matter volume (GMV) or total white matter volume (WMV). Time spent studying was associated with refractive error but could not explain the aforementioned associations with brain volume parameters. The R2 values of the simple regression between spherical equivalent and outcome variables for each sex in non-whole brain imaging analyses were less than 0.05 in all cases and thus were weak. Psychometric intelligence was not associated with refractive error or total CSF volume, but it weakly positively correlated with total GMV and total WMV in this study population. Thus, refractive error appears to be primarily (weakly) associated with the volume of the cranium, whereas psychometric intelligence was associated with the volume of the brain.

Are emotionally driven and addictive-like eating behaviors the missing links between psychological distress and greater body weight?

There is now a large body of evidence suggesting a significant association between emotional discomfort management, disordered eating behaviors and weight status. In the field of overweight and obesity, emotionally driven eating habits that resemble addictive behaviors are considered as a risk factor. This study aimed to investigate in a large sample of French university students 1) the associations between self-reported levels of psychological distress (PD), emotional eating (EE), food addiction (FA) and Body Mass Index (BMI); and 2) the potential mediation effect of eating behaviors (EE and FA) between PD and BMI. The responses of 1051 students (76.3% females) to self-reports assessing PD (Perceived Stress Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), EE (Intuitive Eating Scale-2) and FA (modified Yale Food Addiction Scale) were analysed. Associations between variables (Spearman correlation) and group comparisons by sex and BMI categories (Student's t tests/ANOVA) were tested, followed by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) by sex. Among females and males, EE and FA scores were positively inter-related and correlated with PD scores and BMI. Moreover, among females and males, SEM showed that both EE and FA acts as mediators between PD and BMI. Hence, among educated young adults, using food consumption for down-regulating negative mood places the individual at risk for overweight and obesity. This study further emphasizes the necessity to take into account emotionally driven and addictive-like eating behaviors in interventions for promoting healthy eating and weight management.

Defining Information Quality Into Health Websites: A Conceptual Framework of Health Website Information Quality for Educated Young Adults.

BackgroundToday’s health care environment encourages health care consumers to take an active role in managing their health. As digital natives, young educated adults do much of their health information management through the Internet and consider it a valid source of health advice. However, the quality of information on health websites is highly variable and dynamic. Little is known about the understandings and perceptions that young educated adults have garnered on the quality of information on health websites used for health care–related purposes.ObjectiveTo fill this gap, the aim of this study was to develop a conceptual framework of health website information quality with quality dimensions (ie, criteria) and associated quality drivers (ie, attributes) specified in the context of young educated adults’ use of health websites for health care–related purposes. This aim was achieved by (1) identifying information quality dimensions of health websites from the perspective of young educated adults; (2) identifying the importance ratings of these quality dimensions; and (3) constructing a framework of health website information quality with quality dimensions and associated drivers specified in the context of young educated adults’ use of health websites for health care–related purposes.MethodsThe study employed both qualitative and quantitative methods. Methods included semistructured group interviews and an individual quality assessment exercise grounded in visiting various websites and responding to Likert scale questions regarding the importance ratings of information quality dimensions and open-ended questions with specifying website quality drivers. Study participants included junior and senior undergraduate and graduate students in business, allied health, and public health majors. Qualitative, open-coding procedures were used to develop the conceptual framework reflecting the participants’ means of assessing information quality on health websites.ResultsFive dimensions of information quality for health websites were identified: Completeness of information, Understandability of information, Relevance of information, Depth of information, and Accuracy of information. Completeness of information and Understandability of information were rated as the two most important quality dimensions by the study participants. Results indicated that these five information quality dimensions for health websites were supported by the following main driver themes: Content, Design, Links, Consumer resources, Search functionality, Supporting references, User focus, Content FAQ, Open access, Policy statements, and Site performance.ConclusionsThis study contributes to the literature by developing a health website information quality conceptual framework with quality dimensions and associated drivers specified for a young educated adult population. The detailed quality drivers supporting the corresponding quality dimensions provide a rich picture of young educated adults’ perceptions on health website information quality. This framework can be used to guide the development of health websites, as well as the foundation for a means to evaluate health information from existing health websites with young educated adults as the target audience.

Maybe I Am Not as Moral as I Thought: Calibrating Moral Identity After Immoral Action

How would people with a high moral identity deal with instances when they have not behaved morally? Cognitive dissonance theory and its revision, self-consistency theory, suggest that people would change their moral identity after committing unethical behavior; however, this process would be moderated by the self-importance of morality. In an experimental study with 87 highly educated young adults from Hong Kong and mainland China, we found that individuals calibrated their moral identity when confronted with evidence of cheating behavior; this calibration, however, was sharper for individuals with a high moral identity than those that with a low one. Possible underlying psychological mechanisms are discussed.

Behavioural Pattern of Mobile Phone Usage while Driving among Educated Young Adults in Klang Valley

Students who drive and using mobile phones become a common sight these days. This causes lack of coordination contributing patterns of mobile phone usage while driving among educated young adults. A cross sectional study was conducted among students in Klang Valley whom participated voluntarily. The study found 66.6% of participants used mobile phone while driving and male driver were found to have used phones more often while driving on urban road. Results from this study provide information for policy makers in designing.

Behaviour Response among Educated Young Adults Towards the H1N1 Pandemic

H1N1 has caused a significant number of fatalities in Malaysia. This study investigated the behaviour response and the attitude of educated young adults towards their health. This study was conducted in a suburban territory. Hypothesis testing was completed using Chi-square and Fisher Exact test and they examined categorical data to compare the differences in proportion. This study concluded that health seeking behaviour and behaviour changes among educated young adults in Malaysia should be improved. There was no strong predictor to indicate that difference in educational background will grant positive difference in health seeking behaviour and behaviour changes with regard to the H1N1 pandemic.

Seat Belt Compliance and University Students

Driving, as an instrumental activity of daily living has a positive influence on individual health-related quality of life. A success driving performance will depends on credible drivers, optimum vehicles condition and smart road design. The successful collaboration in between human, machine and environment should encompass two ways ‘communication’. However, 95% of road traffic accident was due to human errors. The purpose of this study is to investigate the seat belt compliance and quality of life among educated young adults in an urban university. Perhaps, this findings could be used to educate young drivers in the future.

Precarity in Russia: attitudes, work and life experience of young adults with higher education

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show how young educated adults in the state of precarity perceive the lack of stability in their employment, life and prospects, and what influences their decision making with respect to their career.Design/methodology/approachQualitative research on evidence from ten semi-structured in-depth interviews. The method of analysis is consensual qualitative research.FindingsYoung Russian adults in the state of precarity have little interest in stable employment, believing it imposes inadequately tight constraints in terms of work organisation, as compared to the potentially modest returns in terms of career development and professional self-actualisation. The respondents tend to choose work which corresponds to the rhythm of their lives and preferences. They are willing to sacrifice stability and higher income in the hope of achieving career success and financial prosperity in the future. They do not hope for or expect assistance from the state but feel fully responsible for their own lives. The downside of this optimism is the lack of long-term plans and, hence, the uncertainty of the future.Originality/valueThe authors not only consider the state of precarity as an effect of structural factors such as the state of the labour market, but also aim to show the role of the worker’s agency in creating such a situation. Instead of the conventional view of precarious individuals solely as victims of circumstances, this study suggests to regard them as actors whose experience, goals and aspirations determine career and life choices.

Psychosocial and environmental correlates of active and passive transport behaviors in college educated and non-college educated working young adults.

BackgroundThis study aimed to examine potential differences in walking, cycling, public transport and passive transport (car/moped/motorcycle) to work and to other destinations between college and non-college educated working young adults. Secondly, we aimed to investigate which psychosocial and environmental factors are associated with the four transport modes and whether these associations differ between college and non-college educated working young adults.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, 224 working young adults completed an online questionnaire assessing socio-demographic variables (8 items), psychosocial variables (6 items), environmental variables (10 items) and transport mode (4 types) and duration to work/other destinations. Zero-inflated negative binomial regression models were performed in R.ResultsA trend (p<0.10) indicated that more college educated compared to non-college educated young adults participated in cycling and public transport. However, another trend indicated that cycle time and public transport trips were longer and passive transport trips were shorter in non-college compared to college educated working young adults. In all working young adults, high self-efficacy towards active transport, and high perceived benefits and low perceived barriers towards active and public transport were related to more active and public transport. High social support/norm/modeling towards active, public and passive transport was related to more active, public and passive transport. High neighborhood walkability was related to more walking and less passive transport. Only in non-college educated working young adults, feeling safe from traffic and crime in their neighborhood was related to more active and public transport and less passive transport.ConclusionsEducational levels should be taken into account when promoting healthy transport behaviors in working young adults. Among non-college educated working young adults, focus should be on increasing active and public transport participation and on increasing neighborhood safety to increase active and public transport use. Among college educated working young adults, more minutes of active transport should be encouraged.

Seat Belt Compliance and Quality of Life among Educated Young Adults in an Urban University

Driving, as an instrumental activity of daily living has a positive influence on individual health-related quality of life. A success driving performance will depends on credible drivers, optimum vehicles condition and smart road design. The successful collaboration in between human, machine and environment should encompass two ways ‘communication’. However, 95% of road traffic accident was due to human errors. The purpose of this study is to investigate the seat belt compliance and quality of life among educated young adults in an urban university. Perhaps, this findings could be used to educate young drivers in the future.

Seeing Health Insurance and HealthCare.gov Through the Eyes of Young Adults

PurposeWe describe young adults' perspectives on health insurance and HealthCare.gov, including their attitudes toward health insurance, health insurance literacy, and benefit and plan preferences. MethodsWe observed young adults aged 19–30 years in Philadelphia from January to March 2014 as they shopped for health insurance on HealthCare.gov. Participants were then interviewed to elicit their perceived advantages and disadvantages of insurance and factors considered important for plan selection. A 1-month follow-up interview assessed participants' plan enrollment decisions and intended use of health insurance. Data were analyzed using qualitative methodology, and salience scores were calculated for free-listing responses. ResultsWe enrolled 33 highly educated young adults; 27 completed the follow-up interview. The most salient advantages of health insurance for young adults were access to preventive or primary care (salience score .28) and peace of mind (.27). The most salient disadvantage was the financial strain of paying for health insurance (.72). Participants revealed poor health insurance literacy with 48% incorrectly defining deductible and 78% incorrectly defining coinsurance. The most salient factors reported to influence plan selection were deductible (.48) and premium (.45) amounts as well as preventive care (.21) coverage. The most common intended health insurance use was primary care. Eight participants enrolled in HealthCare.gov plans: six selected silver plans, and three qualified for tax credits. ConclusionsYoung adults' perspective on health insurance and enrollment via HealthCare.gov can inform strategies to design health insurance plans and communication about these plans in a way that engages and meets the needs of young adult populations.