What Impacts Feelings of Adulthood Among College-Attending and Non-College-Attending Emerging Adults Who Use Alcohol and Cannabis?

Abstract

Emerging adulthood is a time of transition between adolescence and adulthood, and it also represents a risky time frame for substance use. Perceptions of adulthood, or an individual’s belief about how “adult” they are, is associated with a reduction in risky behavior. The current study evaluated factors that may be related to perceptions of adulthood—living situation, age, gender, financial independence, educational status, domains of adulthood—and the relationship between perceptions of adulthood and cannabis use and binge drinking. Among 558 emerging adults who used substances, higher perceptions of adulthood were associated with less binge drinking, older age, male gender, employment and financial independence, and living away from parents. Additionally, adulthood was associated with higher feelings of stability and a focus on both the self and others. Results emphasize the importance of beliefs about adulthood in the transition into more stable life patterns, including engagement in less risky behavior.