Patterns of adult roles, their antecedents and psychosocial wellbeing correlates among Finns born in 1959

Abstract

The study aimed to identify patterns of adult role combinations across the transitional domains of housing, educational attainment, work, partnership, and parenthood at age 27, and to investigate their antecedents and concurrent psychosocial well-being correlates. Data were derived for 354 Finns (born in 1959) from the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development. Three latent classes were identified: Work-orientation with delayed parenthood (WO; 46%; completed adult transitions of independent living, education, work, and partnership), Traditional work and family (35%; completed all five adult transitions), and Academic track with no children (AT; 19%; completed independent living, education, work, and partnership transitions). Individuals in the Traditional pattern were more likely to be women, whereas individuals in the AT and WO patterns were more likely to be men. The socio-economic status (SES) and structure of the family of origin did not differentiate the patterns, but individuals in the AT pattern had had higher school success and educational aspirations in adolescence than those in the other patterns. Early adult life satisfaction and career stability were higher, and depressive symptoms and binge drinking lower in the Traditional pattern than in WO. Life satisfaction was also higher in AT than in WO.