Adolescent Family Characteristics Partially Explain Differences in Emerging Adulthood Subjective Well-Being After the Experience of Major Life Events: Results from the German KiGGS Cohort Study

TY - JOUR

T1 - Adolescent Family Characteristics Partially Explain Differences in Emerging Adulthood Subjective Well-Being After the Experience of Major Life Events: Results from the German KiGGS Cohort Study

AU - Cohrdes, Caroline

AU - Meyrose, Ann-Katrin

AU - Ravens-Sieberer, Ulrike

AU - Hölling, Heike

PY - 2022/9/8

Y1 - 2022/9/8

N2 - Experiences from major life events (MLEs; e.g., starting work or living independently) accumulate in the transition to emerging adulthood. Adaption to such events, often operationalized as responses in subjective well-being (SWB), is highly diverse. This observation has prompted attempts to explain differences in SWB responses among individuals as well as events. Early family characteristics have been discussed as potentially enduringly beneficial or harmful for successful adaption to MLEs in emerging adulthood. In the current study, we investigated adolescent family characteristics as longitudinal predictors of emerging adult mental and physical SWB (direct associations) and their explanatory value for SWB differences after the experience of MLEs (indirect associations). Analyses were based on data from a German national cohort study of 6255 emerging adults (KiGGS survey; 46.6% male; mean age = 22.78 years, standard deviation = 3.26 years) who had participated in the baseline study 11 years prior. Results showed that, while experiencing unemployment or severe illness was most negatively related to SWB, high educational attainment had the most positive correlation. Adolescent family characteristics were longitudinal predictors of emerging adult SWB and partially explained differences in SWB after the experience of several MLEs. Most notably, adolescent family characteristics were indirectly associated with emerging adult SWB via permanent relationships, educational attainment, and unemployment. The results provide a basis for the better understanding and further development of research and targeted intervention or prevention measures to facilitate adaptive capacity and reduce adverse effects from certain events on SWB in the transition to emerging adulthood.

AB - Experiences from major life events (MLEs; e.g., starting work or living independently) accumulate in the transition to emerging adulthood. Adaption to such events, often operationalized as responses in subjective well-being (SWB), is highly diverse. This observation has prompted attempts to explain differences in SWB responses among individuals as well as events. Early family characteristics have been discussed as potentially enduringly beneficial or harmful for successful adaption to MLEs in emerging adulthood. In the current study, we investigated adolescent family characteristics as longitudinal predictors of emerging adult mental and physical SWB (direct associations) and their explanatory value for SWB differences after the experience of MLEs (indirect associations). Analyses were based on data from a German national cohort study of 6255 emerging adults (KiGGS survey; 46.6% male; mean age = 22.78 years, standard deviation = 3.26 years) who had participated in the baseline study 11 years prior. Results showed that, while experiencing unemployment or severe illness was most negatively related to SWB, high educational attainment had the most positive correlation. Adolescent family characteristics were longitudinal predictors of emerging adult SWB and partially explained differences in SWB after the experience of several MLEs. Most notably, adolescent family characteristics were indirectly associated with emerging adult SWB via permanent relationships, educational attainment, and unemployment. The results provide a basis for the better understanding and further development of research and targeted intervention or prevention measures to facilitate adaptive capacity and reduce adverse effects from certain events on SWB in the transition to emerging adulthood.

U2 - 10.1007/s10804-022-09424-5

DO - 10.1007/s10804-022-09424-5

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

VL - 30

SP - 237

EP - 255

JO - J ADULT DEV

JF - J ADULT DEV

SN - 1068-0667

ER -