Quick, uncertain, and delayed adults: timing, sequencing and duration of youth-adult transitions in Canada

ABSTRACT

The transition from youth to adulthood in western societies has become more prolonged and complex as traditional societal norms have lost influence. Using retrospective data from a cohort of 43-year-old Canadians surveyed in 2010 (n = 405), we mapped the timing, sequencing, and duration of ‘first stage’ youth-adult transitions (leaving home, finishing formal education, obtaining a full-time job) and ‘second stage’ youth-adult transitions (marriage, parenthood, home ownership). Latent profile analysis identified five distinct transition profiles – norm-setters, quick adults, uncertain adults, adult students, and delayed adults – with different amounts and timing of post-secondary educational investment playing an important profile-shaping role. Although youth-adult transitions have become less standardized and more individualized, especially for first stage transitions, these transitions are still quite structured and continue to be affected by gender and family socioeconomic status.

KEYWORDS:

• Youth-adult transition
• individualization
• life course
• home ownership
• Canada

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 Following Masyn (2013), models with different specifications of means, variances, covariances, and number of latent profiles were computed using full information maximum likelihood estimation. Models specified with varying means and variances of transition variables across profiles and no covariance among variables within profiles were better identified compared to models specified otherwise, and were compared to determine the final number of latent profiles.

2 When comparing models, we considered commonly used statistics: lower Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) and Approximate Weight of Evidence Criterion (AWE) are indicative of better model fit and a statistically significant adjusted Lo-Mendell-Rubin likelihood ratio test (adjusted LMR-LRT) indicates improvement in model fit from a more parsimonious model to one with more profiles; BIC values were also used to calculate correct model probability (cmP) values; closer to 1 is indicative of greater likelihood of correct model specification compared with all other estimated models (Masyn 2013). We also utilized classification diagnostics (i.e. entropy and average posterior class probabilities (Masyn 2013) and how substantively meaningful the profiles were. Appendix A contains all fit indices.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada [grant number 435-2014-0076]. Data were collected by the Population Research Laboratory, University of Alberta.