Faculty Scholarly Dissemination Grants

Title

Perceived Adult Status among Students in Austria, Slovenia and the U.S.

Department

Psychology

College

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Date Range

2011-2012

Abstract

The period of emerging adulthood is characterized as the transition from adolescence into adulthood. This period is characteristic for modern societies due to prolonged education, postponed marriage and career start. The perceived adult status of students in three different Western type countries was analyzed. The main goal was to test whether between- and within-country differences of the perceived adult status can be explained by taking structural (e.g., leaving parental home) and individual characteristics (e.g., individuation in relation to parents) into account. Students (N = 636) from Austria, Slovenia, and the U.S. participated in the study. Results showed that Slovene and Austrian students perceived themselves less adult compared to the American students. After controlling for age and gender about 18% of the cross-national variance in the perceived adult status was explained by the students living arrangement, involvement in a long-term intimate relationship, and denial of attachment needs in relation to parents.

Conference Name

European Conference of Psychology

Conference Location

Istanbul, Turkey

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