Prevalence, predictors, and psychosocial correlates of the quarter-life crisis in early adulthood

Abstract

The present study examines the quarter-life crisis (QLC) as a transitional phenomenon in early adulthood and investigates its prevalence, predictors, and correlations with psychological well-being. In a cross-sectional online survey (N = 103; age 20–34 years, M = 26.8), QLC symptoms (QLCI-5), job insecurity, social comparisons, self-efficacy, meaning/religiosity, life satisfaction, and the PHQ-4 were assessed. A total of 45.6% of participants exceeded the a priori cut-off (≥ 3.0) on the QLCI-5; the most pronounced symptom was the experience of pressure to choose the right direction (68.9% ≥ 3.0). Correlational analyses revealed close associations between QLC and job insecurity (r =.634) and social comparisons (r =.698), as well as negative associations with self-efficacy (r = −.521), meaning/religiosity (r = −.412), and life satisfaction (r = −.587). QLC was strongly associated with depressive and anxious symptoms (PHQ-4: r =.673). In a multiple regression, four predictors jointly accounted for 56.7% of the variance in QLC (β: social comparisons 0.463; job insecurity 0.307; self-efficacy − 0.210; meaning/religiosity − 0.170). Students reported the highest QLC values, and QLC scores covaried negatively with age (r = −.287). An exploratory bootstrap mediation analysis (PROCESS Model 4; 5,000 resamples) showed a significant indirect statistical pathway from job insecurity to PHQ-4 via QLC (ab = 0.193, BCa 95% CI [0.089, 0.312]). Limitations concern the cross-sectional design, the limited sample size, the reliance on self-report data, common method variance, and the predominantly academic sample structure. Implications relate to the regulation of social comparisons, the strengthening of self-efficacy, and the structuring of transitional support.