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Does Employment Status Matter for Emerging Adult Identity Development and Life Satisfaction? A Two-wave Longitudinal
Kai Hatano1, Shogo Hihara2, Manabu Tsuzuki3
1Graduate School of Sustainable System Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, Japan. kai.hatano@omu.ac.jp.
Journal of Youth and Adolescence
|May 15, 2024
Summary
Employment status impacts identity development in emerging adults, affecting identity synthesis and confusion. However, the link between identity and life satisfaction remains consistent across different employment situations.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Late emerging adulthood is a critical period for identity exploration and life satisfaction.
- Stable employment is considered foundational for life development during this stage.
- The interplay between identity, life satisfaction, and employment status in emerging adults remains underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate identity development in relation to employment status among Japanese emerging adults.
- To examine whether employment status moderates the relationship between identity and life satisfaction.
Main Methods:
- A two-wave longitudinal survey design was employed.
- 875 Japanese emerging adults (mean age 24.74) participated.
- Multivariate analysis of variance and multi-group path analysis were utilized.
Main Results:
- Job loss or transitioning from full-time to part-time employment was linked to decreased identity synthesis.
- Full-time employment correlated with higher identity synthesis and lower identity confusion compared to other employment statuses.
- Identity synthesis positively predicted life satisfaction, and identity confusion negatively predicted it, irrespective of employment status.
Conclusions:
- Employment status significantly influences identity development trajectories in late emerging adulthood.
- The positive association between identity synthesis and life satisfaction, and the negative association with identity confusion, are robust across different employment statuses.
- This study clarifies how employment conditions shape identity formation and its connection to well-being in emerging adulthood.
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