The Role of Identity Commitments in Depressive Symptoms and Stressful Life Events in Adolescence and Young Adulthood

Abstract

The formation of a stable identity, consisting of a strong set of commitments, is a key developmental task in adolescence and young adulthood. Not resolving this task and lacking strong identity commitments is related to difficulties like depressive symptoms and stressful life events. However, the exact role of identity commitments in these negative experiences has remained unclear. In two longitudinal studies in the Netherlands spanning eight and six years, respectively, we examined the associations between career and interpersonal commitments, depressive symptoms, and the number of experienced stressful life events over time. Study 1 included 683 adolescents (11 to 15 years at T1) and 268 adolescents and young adults (16 to 20 years at T1). Study 2 included 960 adolescents (12 to 17 years at T1) and 944 young adults (18 to 24 years at T1). Both studies indicated that stronger identity commitments predicted relative decreases in negative experiences. In Study 2, stronger interpersonal commitments predicted relative decreases in depressive symptoms. In both studies, stronger career commitments predicted a relative decrease in stressful life events. Furthermore, only career commitments weakened after negative experiences. Interpersonal commitments did not weaken after negative experiences, possibly because of the importance of interpersonal relationships during difficult times. Moreover, identity commitments did not buffer the effect of stressful life events on depressive symptoms in either study. These findings underscore the importance of identity commitments in adolescence and young adulthood, but provide crucial nuances regarding their role in different life domains.

Stressful life events and identity development in early and mid‐adolescence

“…Contrary to our expectation, we did not find evidence that the experience of a stressful event is related to change in identity (Tables 4 and 5). As such, our findings are partially consistent with an earlier study which revealed that stressful events were related to occupational, but not relational commitment, in adolescence (Van Doeselaar et al, 2018). However, our findings are inconsistent with studies on stressful events and identity in adulthood, which revealed decreases in commitment and increases in exploration and reconsideration within individuals following the occurrence of an event (e.g., Anthis, 2002).…”

“…Furthermore, although we found no support for a relation between stressful life events and identity (Tables 4 and 5), both our t ‐tests (Tables 1 and 2) and LCS models (footnote 1) evidenced a link of low educational commitment and high educational reconsideration to the educational event. This is in line with work by Van Doeselaar et al (2018), which found that occupational commitment was related to the experience of fewer events. This suggests that in the case of life events which may, in part, be triggered by the individual (e.g., repeating a grade), identity could be a predictor rather than a consequence.…”

“…After losing a family member or friend, lower levels of exploration, and either sticking with current commitments or regressing to diffusion can be expected, as was found in a study with adults (Kroger & Green, 1996). One recent study, using data from the same longitudinal project as the current study, has examined this in adolescence, and found that adolescents who experienced more negative life events had weaker occupational, but not relational, commitments three years later than individuals who experienced fewer events (Van Doeselaar et al, 2018).…”

“…This effect may be especially apparent in adolescence, a period characterized by development and transition (Lewin, 1939), as life events that occur during transitional periods are thought to have more or longer‐lasting effects (Graber, Brooks‐Gunn, & Peterson, 1996). The effect of life events on identity has as of yet received little empirical investigation in adolescence (however, see Van Doeselaar, Klimstra, Denissen, Branje, & Meeus, 2018).…”

Implementing Logotherapy in Its Second Half-Century: Incorporating Existential Considerations Into Personalized Treatment of Adolescent Depression

“…Unresolved existential conflicts-or those inadequately defended-constitute threats to identity and are associated with both depressive and suicidal symptomatology. 3 Like other stress states, existential conflicts are not intrinsically pathological-they invoke the need for specific types of mastery, which, in the logotherapy tradition, is fostered by social connectedness and a sense of purpose. 4,5 Logotherapy seeks to meld elements contemporarily associated with positive psychology-goal-setting, hope, selfefficacy, engagement in life-with the serious deliberation of existential questions and use of one's capacity for freedom of will.…”