Substance Use and Mental Health Treatment Retention among Young Adults by Siobhan Morse in Global Journal of Addiction & Rehabilitation Medicine - Juniper Publishers
In Western and European cultures where marriage and parenthood are
increasingly delayed to the late twenties and early thirties, a distinct
developmental stage between adolescence and adulthood has been
described as “emerging” or “young” adults [1]. As these individuals make
the transition from adolescence to adulthood, when parental or
authoritative and protective influences weaken, they begin to
explore possible life directions in love, work, and worldviews and a new
level of social freedom and responsibility is experienced. The period
of emerging adulthood is filled with both opportunities and challenges.
Explorations of love, work, and worldviews are fraught with the
possibility of romantic rejection, failure to find work that is
satisfying and meaningful, and disillusionment with the world’s
inequities and realities [1]. Developmental theory suggests that these
“younger adults” have less social control and exercise higher levels of
impulsivity than their older counterparts.
