Transition readiness and quality of life in emerging adult college students

Abstract

Objective: To examine the relative contribution of transition readiness (i.e., healthcare self-management) to health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among emerging adult (EA) college students without a chronic medical condition (CMC).

Participants: College students (n = 2372; Mage = 19.32, SD = 1.26) from a Midwestern university.

Methods: Participants completed online measures of demographics, HRQoL, and transition readiness.

Results: Hierarchical regression analyses found transition readiness accounted an additional 3-4% of the variability in mental and physical HRQoL (p < .001), beyond demographic factors. 11.3% of EAs reported overall mastery of transition readiness, with navigating health insurance being the weakest area.

Conclusions: Findings support the consensus that transition readiness is relevant to HRQoL for all EAs, including those without a CMC. EAs without a CMC demonstrate relatively weak transition readiness skills. Primary and university-based healthcare might consider programs supporting transition readiness and HRQoL among underresourced EAs.

Keywords:

• Healthcare self-management
• quality of life
• transition readiness

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the research assistants, and participants involved in this project for their time and hard work. All procedures complied with APA ethical standards. All individuals who have contributed significantly to this work have been acknowledged.

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of [country name] and received approval from the [Institutional Review Board of university name].

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, K.A.T., upon reasonable request.

Table 4. Transition readiness assessment questionnaire item-level descriptives.

Additional information

Funding

The current project was supported in part through the Vaughn Vennerberg Endowment at Oklahoma State University.