Research has established a link between parental psychopathology, perceptions of parents, and child outcomes. Separately, negative perceptions of a parent and parental psychopathology are associated with negative outcomes. However, a stronger relationship may exist when these factors are combined. Current research indicates that children tend to view a parent with psychopathology more negatively and consequently are at a greater risk for psychopathology. Less research examines the outcomes of children who hold positive perceptions of a parent with psychopathology, as well as the effects of perceptions of parents on emerging adults. The current study tested a model where perceptions of parents moderated the relationship between parental psychopathology and emerging adult psychopathology. Results indicated that holding positive perceptions of a parent with internalizing problems puts an emerging adult at a greater risk for internalizing problems, whereas the effect of parental psychopathology and perceptions of parents on emerging adult externalizing problems was unclear.

Viewing motivation to volunteer through an attachment theory perspective may enhance understanding of volunteering motivations. A questionnaire was administered to (N=155) emerging adult college students using a Lykert-type scale (1 - 7) to assess attachment (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991) and motivation to volunteer (Omoto & Snyder, 1994). Five forward linear regression analyses were conducted to identify significant predictors of attachment style on motivation to volunteer. For each analysis, one of the five motivations to volunteer variables (values, understanding, esteem enhancement, personal development, community concern) was regressed on the combination of four attachment style variables (secure, avoidant, anxious ambivalent, dismissing avoidant). Findings indicate that Secure significantly predicted Values, Understanding, and Community Concern; Anxious Ambivalent predicted Understanding, Personal Development, Community Concern, and Esteem Enhancement; and Dismissing Avoidant predicted Understanding. These findings partially support the hypothesized notion that securely individuals would likely report selfless motivations; whereas, insecure individuals would likely report self-serving motivations.

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The purpose of the present study was to investigate factors that contribute to the social adjustment to college for gifted emerging adults. Specifically, perceived parental attachment, and social competence were included. Additionally, social competence was examined to determine if it served as a mediator between parental attachment and social adjustment to college. Responses from 70 participants recruited from the Honors Program at Florida State University (FSU) were included in analysis of the data, which comprised of 19 males (27.1%) and 51 females (72.9%) with a mean age of 19.27 years (SD = 1.05). Results from bivariate correlations and multiple regression analyses revealed positive, significant correlations between parental attachment and social adjustment to college, parental attachment and social competence, and social competence and social adjustment to college. Analyses also found that social competence partially mediated the relationship between parental attachment and social adjustment to college. The majority of research regarding gifted individuals focuses on the experience and developmental domains within the K-12 setting. The findings of the present study add to the significant dearth of literature concerning the college experience of gifted individuals. Specifically, the results provide support that a secure parental attachment influences positive development of social competence and better social adjustment to college in gifted emerging adults. Furthermore, these findings are important factors for researchers, clinicians, and university officials to consider when assessing the needs of gifted and non-gifted emerging adults in a college setting, and when developing social support services and resources for students.

Objective: The current study examined conceptions of adulthood, close personal relationships, and health behaviors (dietary intake, substance use, sexual behaviors) of emerging adults aged 18-30 with horizontally-infected HIV. Emerging adults were expected to differ in levels of achievement of adulthood tasks. The quality of close relationships, and perceptions of close friends’ behaviors were hypothesized to be associated with health behaviors. Method: Utilizing a cross-sectional design, 48 emerging adults with HIV (64.6% female; M age = 22.59, SD = 3.17) from a youth-based clinic serving most of Miami-Dade County were recruited. Participants completed measures on markers of adulthood, close friend and romantic partner qualities, health behaviors, and perceptions of close peers’ health behaviors using Filemaker technology on laptops; audio computer-assisted self-interview options were available. Results: The domains of individualism and family capacities received the highest mean ratings of importance for marking adulthood. Participants rated the acceptance of responsibility for one’s actions and making independent choices as being most important for being considered an adult; other items rated highly were related to emotional control and adopting new family roles. In the domain of peer relationships, participants who had a close friend or romantic partner generally reported high levels of positive qualities in the friendship that were comparable to national samples; however, most individuals had not disclosed their HIV status to their best friend or romantic partner. A number of emerging adults (12.5%) reported having no friends, which is a higher percentage of friendless individuals than national samples. Most emerging adults with HIV reported consumption of fewer fruits and vegetables than national recommendations. In addition, comparable to rates found among adolescents and emerging adults without HIV, participants were engaged in substance use and risky sexual practices such as having multiple sexual partners. Conclusions: There was considerable variability in development among emerging adults. Conceptions of adulthood and peer relationships may be a particularly important aspect of development to examine among emerging adults with HIV. In addition, many of these individuals continue to engage in health risk behaviors that may require intervention efforts geared specifically to their developmental stage. Implications for care providers are discussed.

Emerging adulthood is a developmental period characterized by the themes of identity exploration, instability, feeling in-between, being self-focused, and exploring possibilities (Arnett, 2006). Emerging adults are at higher risk for anxiety as they navigate novel developmental experiences and responsibilities (Kranszler et al., 2019). This study explores whether these themes map on to the experiences of modern-day emerging adults, and whether developmental functioning corresponds to anxiety. College students completed standard questionnaires and provided free-text responses about adjusting to adulthood. Identity exploration and instability were perceived as the most positive and negative aspects of aging, respectively, though response-type varied by participant demographics. Several responses were not captured by these themes. Participants’ ability to engage in self-care and their living situation were negatively associated with current anxiety. These findings provide important directions for expanding theoretical models and measurement of emerging adulthood.

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The unique experience of first generation college students from frontier communities as they transition to college has not yet been explored in the literature. The current study was designed to explore those experiences and the ways the frontier context and first generation status shape identity development once these youth have left their families and home communities and made the transition to college. To gain a rich understanding of the experiences of first generation college students from frontier communities, this study employed a phenomenological qualitative design and the findings were interpreted through a social constructionist lens. Eleven emerging adults were recruited from Utah State University for the current study. In-depth interviews were conducted with all study participants. In addition, each participant brought an item of significance to the interview and responded to a member checking email. Results of the study indicated that the emerging adults in the sample faced challenges when making the transition to college, but that these challenges were also accompanied by positive experiences. Four themes emerged as relevant to the participants’ identity formation in the college context: hard work, religion, appreciation for living simply, and importance of being a role model. For the current sample, their status as first generation students and the frontier context in which they were raised shaped their identities in unique ways. This interplay is discussed along with directions for future research.

The current study investigated the effects of parenting styles in same-sex and opposite-sex parent-child dyads, as well as the differences in parenting styles in two regions of the country. This study’s sample came from two previously collected datasets: one from Mississippi and one from Florida. The participants reported on perceived parental behaviors, parenting styles, discipline practices, and their own psychological adjustment. There were main effects for gender of emerging adults and parenting styles of mothers and fathers. No interactions between the genders of the parent and child reached significance. The results of Pearson correlations suggest that authoritarian parenting leads to negative outcomes for individuals from Florida, although there was no relationship for individuals from Mississippi. Conversely, the results suggest that permissive parenting leads to negative outcomes for individuals from Mississippi, although there was no relationship for individuals from Florida. Thus, outcomes related to parenting seem to differ by region.

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