Emerging adulthood is considered an emotionally complicated developmental stage, due to its defining features of identity exploration, instability, experimentation and feeling in-between, which can result in higher levels of anxiety and depression among emerging adults compared to any other adult population. In my master thesis I focused on intolerance of uncertainty as a dispositional characteristic with two strategies for responding to uncertainty (prospective and inhibitory intolerance of uncertainty) and their potential role in anxiety and depression among emerging adults, along with the influence of demographic characteristics and the aforementioned features on emerging adulthood. 436 participants, aged between 19 and 28, completed an online survey measuring intolerance of uncertainty, their perceived characteristics of emerging adulthood, depression and anxiety symptoms. 35 % of the participants reported emotional problems (moderate or major anxiety symptoms, moderate or major depression symptoms or both). No differences between men and women or younger and older participants were found. The relationships between intolerance of uncertainty and both perceived instability of the developmental stage and identity exploration were positive, as well as the relationships between perceived instability and both strategies for responding to uncertainty. Only inhibitory intolerance of uncertainty positively correlated with identity exploration. Using hierarchical multiple regression, lower education, higher perceived instability and higher inhibitory intolerance of uncertainty were found to predict higher levels of depressive symptoms, whereas lower education, higher perceived instability and both higher inhibitory and prospective intolerance of uncertainty predicted higher levels of anxiety symptoms. The results can be used in counseling and clinical practice with emerging adults, especially in developing greater tolerance of uncertainty and designing coping strategies for dealing with stress and pressure in this developmental stage.
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