Collective Stressors Affect the Psychosocial Development of Young Adults

Young adulthood is a critical developmental life stage and a period of enhanced vulnerability to stress. In 2020, young adults in Northern California were faced with a series of unforeseen, collective stressors: the COVID-19 pandemic, extreme wildfires, social tension associated with the murder of George Floyd, and a contentious election that culminated in an attack on the nation's capital. In a natural experiment, we compared the psychosocial development of 415 young adults across 8 monthly assessment waves during 2020 to a control cohort (n = 465) who completed the same assessment protocol in 2019, prior to the onset of stressors. Results of latent growth curve models indicated that the 2020 cohort had less adaptive trajectories of affective well-being and lower levels and less adaptive trajectories of social functioning, suggesting detrimental effects of cumulative, collective stressors on the socio-emotional development of young adults.

Automated summary

Young adulthood is a critical developmental stage with increased vulnerability to stress. The year 2020 presented unforeseen collective stressors to young adults in Northern California, including the COVID-19 pandemic, wildfires, social tension, and a contentious election. A study comparing young adults' psychosocial development in 2020 to a control group assessed in 2019 revealed that the 2020 cohort exhibited less adaptive trajectories of affective well-being and social functioning, indicating detrimental effects of cumulative, collective stressors on their socio-emotional development.