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Emerging adulthood refers to the developmental period approximately between the ages of 18-29 in industrial societies. This conceptualization of development aligns with major societal changes by the end of the 20th century, which contributed to a more elongated and discontinuous period of adolescence and young adulthood (Arnett, 2007; Arnett et al., 2014). Thus, emerging adulthood is now often a stage of life when young people are acquiring different age-related social roles linked to conceptions of adulthood and navigating the associated responsibilities, challenges and joys of these roles (Arnett, 2007; Eliason et al., 2015). The concept of emerging adulthood has been challenged (e.g., Swanson, 2016; Syed & Mitchell, 2013) as not being universal cross-culturally, with a paucity of research in this area focusing on historically marginalized and minoritized groups. Continued research and attention to the topic of emerging adulthood are needed, particularly from a cross-cultural and global perspective.
While there is an emerging understanding among researchers and clinicians that this developmental period looks like for different communities, we do know that members of this age group need more supports to successfully navigate the transition from adolescence to long-term adult roles. According to national surveys, young adults (age ~18-25) in the United States (US) have experienced a rapid increase in mental health problems over the last two decades (e.g., Goodwin et al., 2020; Twenge et al., 2019). The COVID-19 pandemic and sociopolitical crises have also uniquely contributed to this trend for individuals from marginalized groups (e.g., Adams et al., 2022; Tran et al., 2022; Smith & Robinson, 2019). With these trends in mind, the pursuit of wellness during emerging adulthood requires both societal change and access to services in developmentally appropriate settings.
Despite the growing need for developmentally oriented and culturally responsive mental health services for this age group, the special needs of emerging adults are largely neglected as they transition from child to adult systems of care. Clinical child and adolescent psychologists are uniquely positioned to facilitate a professional forum where clinicians and researchers can advocate for this age group, given their expertise stemming from a developmental perspective with youth.
Consequently, the Emerging Adulthood Special Interest Group (EA SIG) of the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology is dedicated to the promotion of policy, practice, research, and training directly relevant to the psychological assessment and treatment of emerging adults.
The primary goal of the EA SIG is to provide a professional forum that supports the development of psychological science and practice designed to promote the well-being of individuals, who may experience social and psychological difficulties, during the transition from adolescence to early adulthood. Through these efforts, the EA SIG also hopes to promote evidence-based mental health knowledge among the general public.
To this end, the EA SIG is committed to:
Goals of the EA SIG
- Learn from and collaborating with young adults, families, professionals, and other partners.
- Advocate, educate, and collaborate with mental health professionals in order to increase knowledge and awareness.
- Define best practices for service delivery and evidence-based care and mobilize clinical efforts to support emerging adults as they transition from adolescence to adulthood.
- Develop prevention strategies, organizational practices, and flexible models of service delivery that can be utilized in different systems of care (e.g., community behavioral health, private/local/academic hospitals, university settings, etc.).
- Support research relevant to the psychological well-being of emerging adults, including prevention efforts, and defining best practices for assessment and treatment for this age group.
The EA SIG is also interested in pursuing these goals through collaboration with other professional organizations in a manner consistent with the goals of the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, and the American Psychological Association. As such, the EA SIG seeks to establish a national platform for the exploration and development of psychological science and practice devoted to emerging adulthood mental health. Establishing a presence of this kind will help to mobilize efforts to support emerging adults as they transition from adolescence to adulthood.
EA SIG Leadership Team
Chair: Chelsea VanderWoude, PhD
Vice-Chair: Kelly Schloredt, PhD
Secretary: Lauren Oddo, PhD
Members at Large:
Communication: Aijia Yao, MA
DEI: Hana-May Eadeh, MA
Education: Joseph DeLuca, PhD
Membership: Traci Kennedy, PhD
Practice: Arielle Linsky, PhD
Research: Erica Musser, PhD
Student: Angela Pollard, MS
SIG Mentors: Thomas McMahon, PhD and Amanda Zayde, PsyD
References
Adams, S. H., Schaub, J. P., Nagata, J. M., Park, M. J., Brindis, C. D., & Irwin Jr, C. E. (2022). Young adult anxiety or depressive symptoms and mental health service utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Adolescent Health, 70(6), 985-988.
Arnett, J. J. (2007). Emerging adulthood: What is it, and what is it good for? Child Development Perspectives, 1(2), 68-73.
Arnett, J. J., Žukauskienė, R., & Sugimura, K. (2014). The new life stage of emerging adulthood at ages 18–29 years: Implications for mental health. The Lancet Psychiatry, 1(7), 569-576.
Eliason, S. R., Mortimer, J. T., & Vuolo, M. (2015). The transition to adulthood: Life course structures and subjective perceptions. Social Psychology Quarterly, 78(3), 205-227
Goodwin, R. D., Weinberger, A. H., Kim, J. H., Wu, M., & Galea, S. (2020). Trends in anxiety among adults in the United States, 2008–2018: Rapid increases among young adults. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 130, 441-446.
Smith Lee, J. R., & Robinson, M. A. (2019). “That’s my number one fear in life. It’s the police”: Examining young Black men’s exposures to trauma and loss resulting from police violence and police killings. Journal of Black Psychology, 45(3), 143-184.
Swanson, J. A. (2016). Trends in literature about emerging adulthood: Review of empirical studies. Emerging Adulthood, 4(6), 391-402.
Syed, M., & Mitchell, L. L. (2013). Race, ethnicity, and emerging adulthood: Retrospect and prospects. Emerging Adulthood, 1(2), 83-95.
Twenge, J. M., Cooper, A. B., Joiner, T. E., Duffy, M. E., & Binau, S. G. (2019). Age, period, and cohort trends in mood disorder indicators and suicide-related outcomes in a nationally representative dataset, 2005–2017. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 128(3), 185.
Tran, A. G., Mintert, J. S., Llamas, J. D., & Lam, C. K. (2018). At what costs? Student loan debt, debt stress, and racially/ethnically diverse college students’ perceived health. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 24(4), 459.
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