ERIC Number: EJ1156984
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Nov
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0165-0254
EISSN: N/A
"I Don't Want to Grow Up, I'm a [Gen X, Y, Me] Kid": Increasing Maturity Fears across the Decades
Smith, April; Bodell, Lindsay P.; Holm-Denoma, Jill; Joiner, Thomas; Gordon, Kathryn; Perez, Marisol; Keel, Pamela
International Journal of Behavioral Development, v41 n6 p655-662 Nov 2017
The current studies examined the hypothesis that maturity fears are increasing among undergraduate men and women from the United States over time. Study 1 used a time-lag method to assess generational effects of maturity fears among a large sample (n = 3291) of undergraduate men and women assessed in 1982, 1992, 2002, and 2012. Results revealed that both men and women reported significantly higher rates of maturity fears across time. Study 2 replicated these findings, and used a more restricted time frame to more closely examine the rate of change. Undergraduate women (n = 673) were assessed in 2001, 2003, 2009, and 2012. Maturity fears were again found to increase from 2001 to 2012. Recent cohorts of emerging adults seem more reluctant to mature than previous cohorts. Many contributing factors may be at play, including challenging economic times, social pressures to remain youthful, and/or internal fears of assuming increased responsibility.
Descriptors: Maturity (Individuals), Fear, Undergraduate Students, Longitudinal Studies, Cohort Analysis, Gender Differences, Eating Disorders, Measures (Individuals), Multivariate Analysis, Statistical Analysis
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institute of Mental Health (DHHS/NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Eating Disorder Inventory
Grant or Contract Numbers: R01MH63758