The transition to adulthood is a major life course transition that can pose risk to wellbeing. Research is needed to identify patterns of risk for compromised wellbeing, in order to best identify supports for individuals during this potentially vulnerable transition. The purpose of this study was to identify profiles of risk in an emerging adulthood sample, and to relate these profiles to mental health and subjective and academic wellbeing. Undergraduate emerging adults (N = 903, 82 % female), aged 18-25 years (M = 21.14, SD = 1.75), completed a series of questionnaires about risk factors, mental health, and academic variables. Results from a latent profile analysis identified four distinct risk profiles: Low Risk (76 %), Low Social Support Risk (4 %), Financial Risk (11 %), and Multiple Risk (8 %). The risk profiles were subsequently related to mental health and subjective and academic wellbeing outcomes, using a pseudo-class draws approach. Analyses indicated that the risk-pattern profiles differed in several ways across outcomes. Implications for targeted interventions are discussed.
Research has shown that university students are at increased risk of developing depression and related symptoms. The goal of the present study was to examine whether academic experiences relate to depressive symptoms in emerging adults, over and above a set of established depression risk factors. Participants (N ¼ 903), ages 18-25 years, completed a series of questionnaires about risk factors for depression, academic experiences, and depressive symptoms. Results of a hierarchical multiple regression model showed that features of the academic experience were associated with depressive symptoms, over and above the effects of established risk factors. In particular, perceived academic stress, disengagement from studies, and loneliness at university were significant predictors of depressive symptoms. This research highlights the role of subjective academic experiences as potential risk factors for depressive symptoms in university students.
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