For young adults, pandemic brings unique challenges
CONCORD, N.H. — The coronavirus pandemic has been hard on both kids and adults. But what about those who are in between?
Demographic shifts during the last century have given rise to a distinct developmental stage called “emerging adulthood.” Spanning the late teens and early 20s, it’s a volitional, transitional period marked by exploration of life and love, work and world views. But with the now nearly yearlong pandemic causing major disruptions in education, employment, housing and more, young people who are no longer adolescents but not quite adults are struggling to find their footing.
“This generation is losing out on this key transition period,” said Kathryn Sabella, director of research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research. She has been studying the pandemic’s effect on young people with mental health conditions and has found patterns of isolation, angst and uncertainty.
“We’re seeing a lot of stress about school, about finding a job in the short term, and longer term, what does this look like?” she said. “There’s a sense of despair and hopelessness.”
Emerging adulthood is a key time to explore career options, but the pandemic is putting that on hold. While some of Sabella’s study participants have picked up more hours in service sector or “gig economy” jobs, others are struggling to work from home or have lost their jobs.
“Even if it’s just babysitting or retail or working in a restaurant, you’re learning something about yourself and what you want in a long-term career,” she says. “So the limited amount of career exploration, the inability to seek out new jobs and secure those jobs, could definitely have long-term negative impacts.”
The impact varies, person to person, place to place.
Connor Payne, 23, moved to Austin in the summer of 2019 and was still getting to know the city and making new friends when the pandemic hit. He was working in his ideal field — event planning — and even as business dried up, he was hopeful his employer could pivot to new ventures. But he and several co-workers were laid off last week.
“When I got the news, I was 50 percent shocked and 50 percent not shocked,” said Payne, who hopes to find a new position in marketing and return to event planning once the pandemic passes.
“Right now, I’m definitely sitting with the emotions and allowing myself to feel them,” he said. “But I have confidence in the future, I’m very hopeful.”
Jeffrey Arnett, the psychologist who coined the term “emerging adulthood” two decades ago, predicts this population will be able to pick up the pieces. Emerging adults tend to be pessimistic about society at large, and that likely will deepen due to the pandemic, he said. But they often are quite optimistic about their individual situations.
“That optimism is a real resource in bouncing back from setbacks, but at the same time, I certainly think we all ought to take seriously what a blow this is to people,” said Arnett, a visiting professor at Tufts University. “I wouldn’t diminish the difficulty of it. I just want to emphasize that they are resilient, and they’re at a point in life where you can recover from a year or even a twoyear delay.”
But Arnett and other experts agree the pandemic poses particular challenges for some subsets of this population, including young people aging out of the foster system and those with serious mental illness.
Officials in several states say have seen increased demand for services during the pandemic but have had to curtail them or offer them remotely. While some say the pandemic has spurred lasting innovations, they also expressed concern about losing momentum for progress.
But there is concern about a looming behavioral health crisis, said Charlie Moore-Pabst, spokesman for the state Children, Youth and Families Department.
“From what I’ve seen from other agencies across the country, I’m absolutely concerned it will undo some of the progress, especially when it comes to state-funded services,” he said in an email.