Tumatanda na Ako: The Quarter-Life Crisis Phenomenon Among Emerging Adults

Abstract

A quarter-life crisis (QLC) is a phenomenon that has gained widespread attention in the media and popular literature as a result of the difficulties associated with early adulthood. This study, "Tumatanda na Ako: The Quarter-life Crisis Phenomenon Among Emerging Adults," explored the emerging adults' experiences of quarter-life crisis and the meaning they make out of their experiences of this phenomenon. The study utilized the interpretative phenomenological analysis of the qualitative data gathered from twenty (20) respondents from a higher educational institution in Bocaue, Bulacan. The findings have been the bases for the development of the developmental program entitled, "Know-Now, Know-How: Unveiling the Quarter-life Crisis Phenomenon and Finding Ways to Conquer!" and for the development of a proposed psychological assessment tool namely "Help! I Am Lost," A Quarter-life Crisis Scale.

Full text

TUMATANDA NA AKO: THE QUARTER-LIFE CRISIS
PHENOMENON AMONG EMERGING ADULTS
PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL
2023
Volume: 7
Pages: 61-77
Document ID: 2022PEMJ525
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7635962
Manuscript Accepted: 2023-10-2

Psych Educ, 2023, 7: 61-77, Document ID: PEMJ525, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7635962, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article
Perante et al.
61/77
Tumatanda na Ako: The Quarter-Life Crisis Phenomenon Among Emerging Adults
Lhyza Perante*, Jhoana Paola Lunesto, Justine Coritana, Chloie Nicole Cruz, John Mark Espiritu,
Amor Artiola, Wenifreda Templonuevo, Jhoselle Tus
For affiliations and correspondence, see the last page.
Abstract
A quarter-life crisis (QLC) is a phenomenon that has gained widespread attention in the media and
popular literature as a result of the difficulties associated with early adulthood. This study,
"Tumatanda na Ako: The Quarter-life Crisis Phenomenon Among Emerging Adults," explored the
emerging adults’ experiences of quarter-life crisis and the meaning they make out of their experiences
of this phenomenon. The study utilized the interpretative phenomenological analysis of the qualitative
data gathered from twenty (20) respondents from a higher educational institution in Bocaue, Bulacan.
The findings have been the bases for the development of the developmental program entitled, “Know-
Now, Know-How: Unveiling the Quarter-life Crisis Phenomenon and Finding Ways to Conquer!”
and for the development of a proposed psychological assessment tool namely “Help! I Am Lost,” A
Quarter-life Crisis Scale.
Keywords: Experiences, Emerging Adulthood, Emerging Adult, Quarter-life Crisis
Introduction
Quarter-life crisis (QLC) is a popular term for
developmental crisis episodes that arise at some point
in early adulthood (Agarwal, 2022). It is a
phenomenon that has gained widespread attention in
the media and popular literature as a result of the
difficulties associated with early adulthood. To be
more specific, this entails an intense period of
introspection and stress, both of which are all too
typical among many young people who are struggling
to question the path that their careers, personal
relationships, financial situations, and life's general
purpose should take. German psychologist Erik
Eriksson suspected a crisis at this point in life. He
suggested a quarter-life crisis related to "intimacy
versus isolation," which was explained briefly as
related to a time to enter the "real world" and exit the
protection of the family home or college campus
(Flynn, 2021). That is, a quarter-life crisis, in most
cases, typically occurs in an attempt of emerging
adults to move away from home, find work, form a
stable intimate relationship, become financially stable,
and a lot more. However, failing to do so could cause
them instability, transition, and heightened emotions,
which may leave them overwhelmed and incapable of
coping (Robinson, 2016).
Emerging adulthood is known as a period of
uncertainty. Most people in this era go through times
of indecisiveness and worry, during which they begin
to doubt their own goals, plans, and even relationships.
Although many say it is the ideal period in a person's
life — having good health, fewer worries about life
responsibilities, ample time to explore and seek out
opportunities, and simply take chances in life — they
are not exempt from the challenges that emerge later in
life (Shallcross, 2016). A growing interest in the study
of emerging adulthood, which is a recently proposed
phase of life by Arnett in 2000, explains that
individuals between the ages of 18 and 25 are already
trained or educated to be economically independent
(Hochberg & Konner, 2020). However, challenges
brought by a sudden life transition were evident among
emerging adults. In most cases, they are confronted
with the truth that their life is not going on as they
intended (Brigham, 2021). That is, they are faced with
the possibility that they are not being true to
themselves, but they are also unsure of who they are
supposed to be. As a result, they suffer from an
emotional crisis of identity and self-esteem, a
phenomenon called a "quarter-life crisis" (Brigham,
2021).
Considering the aforementioned issues, the present
study explored the quarter-life crisis phenomenon
among emerging adults. Specifically, unveiling their
lived experiences and meaning-making of the situation
during the quarter-life crisis provided a clear
understanding of the concept of emerging adulthood
and how the quarter-life crisis could be implicated in
this period.
This study endeavors to contribute to the field of
developmental psychology, particularly in the growing
academe of the developmental stages alongside human
experiences. Interpreting the emerging adults’ lived
experiences of quarter-life crisis will contribute to

Psych Educ, 2023, 7: 61-77, Document ID: PEMJ525, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7635962, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article
Perante et al.
62/77
further understanding of early adulthood as a
developmental stage.
Research Questions
This study, entitled "Tumatanda na Ako: The Quarter-
life Crisis Phenomenon Among Emerging Adults,"
aimed to explore the quarter-life crisis phenomenon
among emerging adults. In particular, the graduating
college students at a selected college school in Bocaue,
Bulacan, A.Y 2022-2023. Specifically, this study
sought to answer the following questions:
1. What are the lived experiences of emerging adults
during the quarter-life crisis?
2. What meanings do emerging adults make out of
their experiences of the quarter-life crisis?
Methodology
This section features the strategies of inquiry,
respondents of the study, data collection approaches,
and data analysis procedures that are utilized to
generate the results of this study.
Strategies of Inquiry
The study utilized the Phenomenological Research
strategy of inquiry, a type of qualitative research that
aims to comprehend and characterize the universal
core of a phenomenon (Ho & Limpaecher, 2022).
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to
explore and make meanings out of the quarter-life
crisis experiences among emerging adults.
Respondents of the Study
The respondents of this study were emerging adults of
20 to 22 years of age. They are students who are in the
final year of their college education in a higher
educational institution in Bocaue, Bulacan in the
academic year 2022 to 2023. They met the criteria
formulated for identifying and screening prospective
participants: (1) Within the age range of 18 to 25 years
old; (2) In the final year level of their college
education; and (3) Demonstrated commitment to
participating in the study by giving informed consent.
Data Collection Approaches
The researchers conducted individual interviews with
each of the participants to ensure their anonymity,
hence, giving them the opportunity to respond freely
and honestly to the questions. In addition, in order to
ensure the participant’s psychological safety and well-
being, debriefing was performed on each and every
one of them after they had taken part in the interview.
Following the research ethics, the researchers secured
informed consent from the respondents before the
interviews. The informed consent was provided via
Google Form, as the data collection was facilitated
during a worldwide pandemic; thus, personal
interaction is not permitted.
Upon obtaining the participants’ consent, they were
subjected to a one-on-one interview through Google
Meet using the interview guide created by the
researchers. This instrument includes a series of
questions designed to elicit participants' lived
experiences of quarter-life crisis and the meanings
they make out of these experiences. The interview
questions were examined and validated thoroughly by
experts.
After collecting qualitative data from the participants,
the responses were transcribed, coded, organized, and
interpreted. Finally, the result of the gathered data was
summarized and analyzed according to the research
objectives.
Data Analysis Procedure
Data analysis is defined in qualitative research as the
systematic search and organization of interview
transcripts, observation notes, and other non-textual
materials. It entails making sense of massive volumes
of data by first lowering the volume of raw data, then
discovering significant patterns, and ultimately
interpreting the data (Nowell, Norris, White, &
Moules, 2017). In the present study, Interpretative
Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyze
the gathered qualitative data.
Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is a
qualitative thematic approach developed within
psychology and underpinned by an idiographic
philosophy, thereby focusing on the subjective lived
experiences of individuals (Love, Vetere, & Davis,
2020). IPA is about human experience at its deepest
level of pathos and understanding the essence of a
studied phenomenon. It is a useful tool for examining
data that tries to see what is important to the
participant and how they interpret and view their own
lives and experiences (Turner, 2017). Further, utilizing
the IPA approach in a qualitative research study

Psych Educ, 2023, 7: 61-77, Document ID: PEMJ525, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7635962, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article
Perante et al.
63/77
reiterates the fact that its main objective and essence
are to explore the lived experiences of the research
participants and allow them to narrate the research
findings through their lived experiences (Alase, 2017).
That being the case, this research approach was
beneficial to the study as it gave researchers the best
opportunity to understand the innermost deliberations
of the lived experiences of research participants. As an
approach that is participant-oriented, the interpretative
phenomenological analysis approach allows the
interviewees (research participants) to express
themselves and their stories the way they see fit
without any distortion and/or prosecution (Alase,
2017).
Results
Following the data-gathering procedure, the analysis
generated three superordinate themes that account for
the self-reported experiences and interpretations of the
respondents on the occurrence of the phenomenon
called the quarter-life crisis. These extracted three
superordinate themes are written as the following: (1)
experience in taking the role of the “inaasahang
anak”; (2) experience in overthinking about the future;
(3) and experience in finding coping strategies.
Experience in Taking the Role of the “Inaasahang
Anak”
The first superordinate theme focuses on the
experiences of the respondents in relation to taking on
the role of "inaasahang anak." The majority of the
respondents admitted that their experiences as either
the eldest child in their family or the current or
expected breadwinner in the future put an amount of
pressure on their shoulders. These instances become
worse for other respondents who have not yet figured
out their future. Some admitted that being pressured by
the role they tend to play in their family forces them to
do things such as choosing their career in college even
if it is not part of their plan. Some also talk about their
desire to become independent yet admit that
considering that issue makes them feel guilty, while
others reveal that they feel overwhelmed by the
responsibilities that their role has brought them. Under
this main theme, respondents' experiences can be
broken down into three subthemes: feelings of being
pressured; feelings of guilt for desiring independence;
and feelings of being overwhelmed by responsibilities.
Feelings of being pressured. In this subtheme,
respondents talk about how they feel pressured to
succeed in life because they believe that their family
relies on them. Specifically, the majority mentioned
that they felt like, when they turned 18 years old, their
family immediately expected them to be the ones who
would take them out of poverty and hardship and that
they felt like they were responsible for carrying out all
of their family’s problems. When asked about how
they see themselves as a member of their family, a
respondent answered:
"Para sa’kin ano eh, nakaka-pressure kasi panganay
din ako."
This statement, however, also revealed how the
respondent made sense of his role as the "inaasahang
anak." Specifically, he said:
"Kailangan ko din mag hirap para sa mga kapatid ko
at pamilya ko."
Being the eldest child is more than just being born first
among all of the siblings. The respondent realized that
as the family's eldest child, it was now his duty to
shoulder the responsibilities that his parents are unable
to carry.
Similarly to this, another respondent talked about her
experiences of being pressured in relation to her role
as the eldest child and how she makes sense of this
reality now that she was about to graduate from
college. In her words, she stated:
“May nararamdaman ng kaunting pressure kase
syempre dalawang sem nalang gragraduate na…
parang maraming nag eexpect sayo na after ng
grad dapat may stable na job kana.”
Moreover, she added:
"Ako yung panganay samin so parang wala naman
silang sinasabe sakin pero ramdam mo na parang
after ng graduation kailangan mo na ng stable job kasi
ikaw naman yung magpapa-aral sa kapatid mo."
Both of the respondents admitted their tendency to feel
pressured as they take on the role of being the
breadwinners of their families. This reality, moreover,
forces them to do things not for their own benefit but
for their families, such as taking jobs while still
studying, doing well in school to secure a better future,
and taking on the responsibilities of their parents, such
as looking after their siblings. Their experiences
further provided them with an understanding of the
role they are taking. They were able to make sense and
make meaning of their experiences, which affects their

Psych Educ, 2023, 7: 61-77, Document ID: PEMJ525, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7635962, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article
Perante et al.
64/77
behavior as emerging adults.
These findings were supported by the study of Riñoza
(2017), which stated that those who take on the role of
"Inaasahang Anak" face a number of difficulties,
including the following: feelings of inadequacy;
feeling pressured to find success; the necessity to
prioritize their family before their own needs and
desires; the perception of unfair demands or
expectations; and their inadequate financial means.
Additionally, another study indicated the tendency of
young adults to feel like they have committed
themselves to take on all the responsibilities,
especially those of family, once they turn into adults
and that they are expected to care for their parents the
same way their parents cared for them (Fortis, 2020).
Feelings of guilt for desiring independence. In this
subtheme, respondents discussed their tendency to
hold back on doing things, such as leaving their homes
to become independent. The majority of the
respondents are caught in this situation where in any
decision or path they desire to take, they still have to
consider if such a thing would benefit their loved ones,
specifically with regards to leaving their homes to live
on their own. A respondent talked about his
experiences considering the decision to live alone and
how his family affected his decision-making. In his
words, he said:
"...kino-consider ko is yung makaka-benefit ba pati sa
mga tao sa paligid ko, pangalawa is hindi ba magsu-
suffer kung sino yung mga kasama ko talaga everyday
life."
And when asked about the reasons behind his
considerations when making decisions, the respondent
said that:
"Kasi di ba ang hirap? Nakaka-guilty naman na gawin
yung isang bagay tapos sumasaya ka pero yung iba
hindi."
In light of this statement, as the respondent interpreted
his experiences as "inaasahang anak," he placed
himself in a position where he believed he had no right
to think only about himself and that such happiness for
him alone was forbidden. Even though he really
wanted to live on his own, thinking about his family
and how they would feel if he left kept him from
actually leaving their home. Moreover, some of the
respondents expressed their desire for independence in
a form of keeping money from their parents and trying
to do things on their own. Specifically, a respondent
stated that:
"Yung mga experiences ko na yon parang ililihim ko
pa sa parents ko na gumagala ako, sasabihin ko na
lang sa parents ko pag umuwi ako para di nila maisip
na may pera ako. Tas minsan nagsisinungaling ako na
kunyari libre lang pero pera ko talaga yung
ginagastos ko."
But when asked about how he feels toward his actions,
the respondent admitted that:
"Nagi-guilty kasi syempre kahit gusto mong unahin
yung sarili mo... parang pag nauna mo nga yung sarili
mo pero maiisip mo rin yung parents mo, yung mukha
nila parang di maipinta ganun, parang hindi sila
masaya ganun na parang inuna mo yung sarili mo.
Kaya parang guilt."
When the respondents decide to become selfish for
once, keeping their money for themselves, for
instance, makes them feel guilty and have no sense of
happiness about what they did at all. In this case, the
findings revealed the tendency of the respondents to
feel guilty just because they want to prioritize
themselves, even though they don’t need to feel guilty
at all. The quarter-life crisis, as research suggests,
takes place in such a way that a person feels unrightful
to have leisure, for instance, when in fact, there is
really nothing wrong with feeling that way upon
adulting. Unfortunately, this experience causes
emerging adults to have a hard time isolating
themselves from their families or identifying
themselves outside of their community.
These findings corroborated the study by Sharpe
(2022), which revealed that young adults tend to
experience a sense of being trapped in some form of
commitment, which makes them unfocused, terrified
to make any decisions, or thinking only about negative
things upon taking some sort of action. That being the
case, it is possible for a person to experience the
feeling of being powerless over their lives, and that
factor restricts their alternatives and prevents them
from moving forward. And this matter was, sadly, also
prominent among young adults. That is, according to
Ghiladurcci (2020), young adults often feel that they
cannot make their own decisions because they have to
put the needs of their families first. They also feel
pressured whenever their family expects them to do
something, and when they fail to do so, they will feel
guilty as they believe they have a moral obligation to
provide for their family.
Feelings of being overwhelmed by responsibilities.
In this subtheme, there is a focus on the mental and

Psych Educ, 2023, 7: 61-77, Document ID: PEMJ525, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7635962, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article
Perante et al.
65/77
emotional aftermath of the process of entering
adulthood. Responsibilities are now being thrown at
the respondents as people expect them to become more
accountable for their futures as well as their families'
lives, even though they are still students in college. As
they do not feel ready to take on the adult role yet,
they feel overwhelmed by the numb er of
responsibilities they have to attend to and every
decision they ought to make. A respondent mentioned
that:
"To be honest nakaka-overwhelmed kasi syempre
ano... yung responsibility na hindi mo naman dapat na
dati ginagawa ay ginagawa mo na ngayon."
And when asked about how he feels toward these
experiences, the respondent explained that:
"Since 4th year college ako di ba then 22 years old,
uhmm too young to... para mag-trabaho and dapat ine-
enjoy ko muna yung mga company ko na mga
kaibigan ko ayan, pamilya ko. Pero ngayon
nagtatrabaho na tayo…naka-ilang trabaho na. Dati
naglalaro ka lang di ba? Ganun sobrang hirap."
With regard to this statement, it was revealed that the
process of transition from adolescence to young
adulthood causes the respondent to feel overwhelmed
by the responsibilities he suddenly has to do, such as
working while studying. Although he acknowledges
the reality that working is what he has to do in order to
help his family, he finds this situation challenging
considering that he believes he is still too young to
work or to experience all of that in general.
For another respondent, however, it was found that the
sudden transition had nothing to do with her tendency
to feel overwhelmed by responsibilities, as she had
already dealt with these experiences earlier in life.
Nevertheless, later in life, it came to her senses that
everything is becoming too much for her. In this
matter, the respondent explained her role in taking care
of her younger brother. In her words, she said that:
"...growing up, malaki kasi yung age gap ko sa little
brother ko, 7 years, e parehas working ang parents ko.
So si kuya naman 10 years ang gap nila nung bunso.
So sino bang maasahan? Kung sino yung mas malapit
sa brother so ako."
Additionally, she continued:
"Nandun yung parang sense of kailangan kong maging
ate."
Although the respondent completely acknowledges the
need for her to take over the role of looking out for her
brother, when asked about her thoughts toward her
situation, she admitted that:
"Di naman sa maaga pero yung ganung age dapat
naglalaro ka pa, pero ayun nagbabantay ka na ng
kapatid mo."
The respondent further talked about how she feels
envious of her classmates—seeing them achieve a lot
in life already while she, on the other hand, still has to
attend to her family duties. Her confusion about
whether to prioritize her role in their family or to work
on her role as becoming an adult overwhelmed her.
Taking the aforementioned statements into
consideration, the findings revealed that the majority
of the respondents are having difficulty determining
where they should be in their lives and are feeling
discouraged and unmotivated after discovering that
they have already failed to reach that point in their
lives. They were caught in a situation of uncertainty,
questioning, and intense soul-searching—a
phenomenon called a quarter-life crisis.
According to Matud, Díaz, Bethencourt, and Ibáñez
(2020) in their study, emerging adulthood is a pivotal
time in a person's life that is marked by several
transition periods, including changes in living
situations, relationships, education, and work life,
wherein these changes have the potential to cause the
emerging adult to experience stress and psychological
discomfort. Likewise, people in this age face moments
of instability, transition, and heightened emotion that
are often generated when an individual takes
significant and deliberate efforts to settle into a stable
set of life responsibilities but then encounters
problems that leave them feeling overwhelmed and
incapable of coping (Robinson, 2017).
Experience of Overthinking About the Future
The second superordinate theme pertains to the
hardships of an emerging adult in the middle of a
quarter-life crisis. The respondents discussed the
difficulties they faced as developing adults going
through this phenomenon. The majority of them felt
anxious about what was going to happen in their
future. They still feel inept at navigating their lives on
their own. Some even admitted that even though they
are aiming for a certain goal, which is to have a better
life, in particular, picturing their lives in detail is still
hard for them. Some of the respondents, on the other
hand, revealed their experiences related to stagnation.

Psych Educ, 2023, 7: 61-77, Document ID: PEMJ525, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7635962, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article
Perante et al.
66/77
Specifically, their experiences amidst a quarter-life
crisis made them conclude that they were indeed living
a stagnant life. Under this main theme, respondents'
experiences can be broken down into two subthemes: a
feeling of inability to find life's purpose; and a
perception of stagnation.
Feeling of inability to find life's purpose. This
subtheme explains how the respondents tend to have
hazy plans for their future. Despite the fact that they
are graduating college students, some of them have not
yet considered planning or have not yet figured out
what they want to do with their lives in the near future.
The majority of respondents expressed confusion
about their situations, as they continue to question
what the future holds for them. When asked about
what their plans for the future are and how they decide
to pursue them, a respondent answered:
"Yun nga din eh. Hindi ko pa din alam, kasi hanggang
ngayon iniisip ko kung ano mangyayari sa'kin"
According to the respondent, her experience in sorting
out her future has never been easy. Her statement also
revealed how she struggles to decide what courses of
action she must take or how she would map out her
plans according to a future that she barely has an idea
of.
Additionally, when asked about her thoughts regarding
this matter, in her words, she said:
"Parang ngayon ano focus muna ko sa kung ano
meron kasi di ko rin naman kasi masasabi na
mangyayari ba to pag plinano ko. Pano kung may iba
palang nakalaan para sakin di ba?"
The respondent realized that when they reached the
point where they needed to face the transitions that
may happen as they went along in adulthood, it
became much more difficult to know their purpose and
figure out what they really wanted to do in life. Their
experiences regarding this matter made them realize
the value of focusing on the "now." Even though they
couldn't plan their future, this kind of behavior was
their way to deal with feeling like they were falling
behind.
In a similar way, one of the respondents who had the
same experience talked about a time when she didn't
know what her purpose was and how she dealt with
those uncertainties. She said:
"Actually kasi ako yung klase ng tao na hindi ko
talaga iniisip kung ano yung mangyayare sa future ko.
Ako talaga yung tao na go with the flow kasi
naniniwala ako sa uncertainties ng buhay. Siguro
kung may gusto man akong gagawin, siguro gagawin
ko na lang din yung best ko to pursue that dream or
career in the future."
But when asked about how she felt about this matter,
she answered:
"Siguro anxious din kase di mo talaga alam yung
mangyayare in the future. Kumbaga ineexpect mo
yung mangyayare sayo, what if iba yung kakalabasan
non? So medyo nakakakaba din."
The respondent admitted that she tried not to put too
much pressure on herself when finding out her life's
purpose. Although her experiences related to this
matter are not as clear as those of her peers, she still
feels motivated to continue. However, as she
understood her situation, she also admitted that it made
her feel worried at some point. That is, being unsure
about one's life is indeed concerning.
The majority of the respondents acknowledge that
there will be uncertainty in their daily lives in the
future and that they will have difficulty determining
their purpose. Consequently, they admitted that it often
leads them to be anxious and confused since they
believe that they are now in such a crucial period of
their lives and that planning out their future is a must,
especially since they have no idea about what is going
to happen in their lives.
This finding is supported by Flynn (2021), wherein he
stated in his study that quarter-life crises,
unfortunately, are becoming all too common in
society, as many young people battle with questions
about the direction of their careers, relationships, and
general life purpose. Further, emerging adults are
unfamiliar with the feelings of instability,
ambivalence, and extreme powerlessness that
accompany adulthood because their lives have been
relatively predictable until graduation from university
(Robinson, 2016). That being the case, while many
young adults struggle to prepare for productive jobs, it
can also be challenging for them to build secure
careers (Gonser, 2018).
Perception of Stagnation. In this subtheme, the
perception of stagnation or a life where you feel stuck
and seemed to be neither moving backward nor
advancing towards a certain cue in life was explained.
Several respondents faced stagnation in life, which
they explain as a tendency to feel motionless and
unmotivated. Some mentioned that they tend to feel as

Psych Educ, 2023, 7: 61-77, Document ID: PEMJ525, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7635962, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article
Perante et al.
67/77
if nothing motivates them to act. It is as if their life is
moving to a rest. Things are sophomoric and
repetitious because of how they are done and because
the results are as predicted. A respondent revealed her
experience with the same phenomenon. She stated:
"Well, nape-pressure ako since wala pa kong
masyadong achievement dito sa edad na meron ako
ngayon, and also yung life ko… very stagnant, parang
nagiging routine na lang."
The respondent explains how she felt so unmotivated
to continue moving forward as she felt like her life was
running like a cycle, remaining unchanged despite
everything she had done. In a similar situation, another
respondent mentioned:
"Nandun ako sa point ng buhay ko na nag e-explore
ako and parang alam mo yun... hindi ako naka-stuck,
gumagalaw ako pero hindi rin—hindi ko pa rin
nararating yung gusto kong papuntahan."
As observed in both responses, the respondents
described their lives as emerging adults as still being
stuck in the process of exploring adulthood. Although
they are making efforts to prepare for that particular
phase of life—it was as if they were present,
preparing, and attempting to be ready, but they are still
not there yet but are only in one phase. And for these
reasons, the respondents in the same situation feel
stuck and unmotivated.
Moreover, when asked about their thoughts regarding
this matter, someone explained that:
"Medyo kinakabahan kasi nga di ba ano ayaw natin
mag-fail sa buhay and syempre ang pagfefail kasama
na talaga yan and normal lang din yan. So
kinakabahan ako pero uhm hinihiling ko din na kung
hindi man umayon yung mga gusto kong mangyari sa
mga pangarap ko, uhm maging handa ako emotionally
kung paano ko iha-handle."
In light of this statement, as the respondent
acknowledges these experiences in her life, which
include failure, in particular, she comes to the
conclusion that this reality is bound to happen at some
point in everyone's lives. And if that thing happens to
her, she hopes that she was able to prepare herself
prior to facing the consequences of possible stagnation
and that the failure may not be too detrimental for her.
According to Ambrose (2021), stagnation happens
when a person doesn’t have anything in life that
motivates him/her enough to take sustained steps
toward it. A person feels exhausted when they take on
too many things that don’t come naturally. In a
literature review written by Brigham (2021), it was
revealed that millennial graduates in 2008 experienced
career stagnation after repeatedly losing their jobs and
failing to establish a solid career path. Many young
adults have been thrown into a spiral as a result of the
lack of career opportunities, the inability to travel, and
being compelled to stay at home. This has caused
many to question what the point of all of their years of
hard work has been (Brigham, 2021).
Experience in Finding Coping Strategies
This superordinate theme focuses on the experiences
of the respondents in finding various coping
techniques to adopt in order to cope with their
detrimental experiences and approaching issues
brought about by the quarter-life crisis. The
respondents acknowledged that they encountered
numerous obstacles as emerging adults. And such
issues include doubting their ability to continue their
lives and contemplating their future ambitions—a
phenomenon called a quarter-life crisis. These
negative feelings led them to seek comfort and find a
means to continue—thus, bringing about these four
subthemes: determination to pursue dreams; finding
social support; having faith in God; and validating
emotions and break needs.
Determination to pursue dreams. This subtheme
discussed the respondents' unwavering will to pursue
their dreams and aspirations. The respondents admitted
that the ways they live their lives in college are not
what they expected, as they had hoped for a more
defined and concrete mapping of their plans at this age
but had failed to do so. Despite this, however, what
motivates them to continue is their dream of pursuing
and achieving more for a better life. And, regardless of
whether what they are pursuing is what they really
want or not, they still want to continue and succeed in
life. One respondent shared her thoughts about how
she remains motivated, mentioning that:
"...yung mga gusto kong mangyari sa buhay ko di ba
parang uhm... kasi dadating ka naman talaga sa point
na "Ayoko na ang hirap, hindi ko na talaga gusto"
ganon. Pero magiging positive kapag—kapag iniisip
mo yung "Ay ganito nga pala yung mga plano ko," "Ay
ganito nga pala yung gusto kong mangyari sa future
ko, ganto yung gusto kong makita after ilang years"
ganyan. Saka yung state ko rin ngayon, hindi ko gusto
yung ganito, I want more."

Psych Educ, 2023, 7: 61-77, Document ID: PEMJ525, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7635962, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article
Perante et al.
68/77
In light of this statement, upon understanding her
experiences amidst the quarter-life crisis, the
respondent emphasizes her firm belief that despite
these detrimental issues upon her development, she
can continue and have the right result because she
wanted to have more of life, she wanted to be better
and attain personal development, and she believes in
her own capabilities that she will actually achieve all
of her dreams.
Moreover, another respondent said that he remains
motivated and fuelled to do everything and give his
best efforts for the welfare of the people around him.
He wanted to give them a better life and stop the
generational suffering that their family has been
enduring for a very long time. When asked about his
experiences concerning this matter, he said that:
"Ang ginawa ko maging masipag..."
The respondent explained that even if he wanted to
look for a job to support their family, his role as the
eldest and second parent to his sibling and an athletic
scholar in college prevented him from having spare
time to look for a job. Given that, what he decided to
do was to study hard and do well in school so that his
scholarship would not be put to waste and that a better
future could be created for their family.
When asked about his thoughts regarding his situation,
the respondent reasoned that:
"...kailangan mo lang talaga maging positive kasi nga
napakarami ng responsibilidad na kailangan mong
gawin; kailangan pagbutihan yung pag-aaral mo,
kailangan mo maging masipag at the same time. Ang
ginawa ko maging masipag para yung [magiging]
anak ko di maranasan yung naranasan ko, at the same
time, makabili ng bahay. Sabi ko nga sa sarili ko "Ito
na... itong generation na to, ito na yung last na
magkakaroon ng pamilya namin ng mahirap."
Through the means of continuous pursuit of their
dreams, the respondents were reminded of their
desired kind of life. They were being reminded of what
they had been fighting for since the beginning. And
those aspirations or people who became their source of
motivation are what keep them strong enough to face
life's battles, no matter how difficult they are.
These findings were supported by the study of Tilburg
and Igou (2019), which postulated and tested that
people's forecasts of a brighter future than the present
serve a vital function: they give meaning to life.
Moreover, the findings of this study demonstrated that
visualizing a brighter future delivers a significant
existential benefit: it acts as a technique for
discovering purpose in life.
Finding social support. When the respondents began
to question their lives again, feeling anxious and
unsure of which path to take or whenever they felt lost,
receiving social support was one of their keys to
returning on track. A respondent stated that she
reaches out to other people with a positive mindset for
support when she sees that she can no longer keep up
her optimistic viewpoint about the future. She
mentioned that being surrounded by people who share
her mindset and are as mature as she is allows her to
be reminded of what she truly fights for in life. And
thus, it pushes her to strive once more. Specifically,
she said that:
"...there are times na kailangan mo lang din talagang
kumausap ng mga tao na mas... sing-mature... merong
same din nang pag-iisip sayo ganon."
And when asked about her reason for doing so, she
said that:
"So kapag ganun kasi parang magkakaron ka
din—parang babalik ka dun sa "Oo nga pala dapat
ipagpatuloy mo yung mga gagawin mo kasi oo nga
pala kung ganito ganyan"... maganda rin yung nasu-
surround ka ng mga taong positive din and may
mature na pag-iisip."
This statement refers to her moment of realization after
talking to someone. Receiving social support in times
of difficulty may come in various forms, but
regardless, the respondent felt grateful to have
someone as she coped with the challenges posed by
the quarter-life crisis. In a similar vein, another
respondent mentioned that:
"Nagagawa kong magpatuloy, siguro dahil sa mga
taong nagpupush sakin or nag iinspire sakin na kaya
ko to ganyan. Parang sa kabila ng mga nangyare din
sakin, ayon, nagiging... naaachive ko din yung goal
ko"
For both of the respondents, having the most
significant people in their lives—people who can help
them become more positive and better people—is
enough to make them eager to achieve their goals.
Even though they recognize that they still lack
something and are not confident enough to continue
what they started, seeing the people who are close to
them gives them the strength to fight for their lives. It

Psych Educ, 2023, 7: 61-77, Document ID: PEMJ525, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7635962, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article
Perante et al.
69/77
motivates them to think that there is someone who
depends on them and believes in their potential, and
most especially that there will be people who will
support them in every single way.
These findings were supported by Andayani's (2020)
study, which determined that social support provided
to individuals will assist them in implementing
effective coping techniques to overcome the crisis they
are facing. This study explains that the family is the
closest support system for early-adolescent individuals
and that a well-functioning family could help these
individuals face the crisis. Additionally, the study of
Orben, Tomova, and Blakemore (2020) theorized and
tested that the adolescent stage of life is marked by an
enhanced sensitivity to social stimuli and a greater
need for peer interaction. In particular, this study
showed that acceptance by peers and being influenced
by peers are important to the development of early
adolescence.
Having faith in God. Some of the respondents stated
that, at such a time when the anxiety and confusion
about their lives overtook their will to continue, they
sought comfort from God. A respondent mentioned
that:
"Kumakapit talaga ako sa kay God, alam mo yon?
Kase during those down moments kase talaga parang
every day kailangan kong may panghugutan ng lakas
ganyan, so, sa Kaniya lang talaga."
When asked about what motivates her to keep going
despite all the challenges brought on by the quarter-life
crisis, the respondent was brought to tears while trying
to answer. She admitted that adulting has never been
easy for her and that this matter had caused her to have
suicidal thoughts and attempts. But God, as she
explained, prevents her from doing so. And the current
situation that she is in has made her realize that:
"Ibibigay ni Lord yan kung kailan handa ka na, kaya
mo nang i-grab yung blessing na ibibigay niya sa’yo."
The respondent indicates that even though she is in the
middle of confusion about her life—feeling lost about
which path to take—she believes that God is just
waiting for her to be ready. And that when that time
comes, God will clear her mind and direct her to the
path He wants her to take. Someone also shares about
her fear of God’s disappointments and how it keeps
her awake from her suicidal thoughts:
"…and I always think of how God will be disappointed
in me kung magiging ganun lang yung buhay
ko—kapag nag-give up. Kayo nga kaya niyo e, edi ako
kaya ko din."
She emphasizes how God kept her from quitting and
how her faith influences her will to continue.
Alexander (2018) mentioned in her article that
spending uninterrupted time in prayer and listening to
God may provide you with greater insight into your
future steps. However, this is not really the case with
the study of Torralba, Oviedo, and Canteras (2021),
which investigated the positive and healthy role of the
religious dimension in the development of
adolescence. Although one group demonstrated
positive religious coping, the other group of students
appeared to be expressing spiritual dissatisfaction or
possibly spiritual conflict. The study further suggested
that there are several things that must be dealt with in
order to grow up and become an adult. In such
struggles, even those that involve religious or spiritual
beliefs, the role of faith is often unclear and seen as
useless or disappointing.
Validating emotions and break needs. Some of the
respondents mentioned that despite having a lot to
think about and worry about in their adulting lives,
they still never forget to take a pause, breathe, and
make the most of their moments. One even mentioned
that in order for her to avoid overthinking:
"I meditate, I do journal every night, I read. Tapos
ano, nilalayo ko talaga yung sarili ko sa bagay na
ayaw ko."
The respondent was able to resort to this kind of
coping strategy as she began to realize the importance
of taking a pause when necessary. In her words, she
said:
"Kung napapagod ka, be honest to yourself. Hindi
yung sakit pa yung magdudulot sa’yo para mag-
pahinga."
Her previous experiences with challenges, including
the quarter-life crisis, made her understand the
importance of taking care of one's self and not thinking
of one's life as a race. Similarly, the respondent
emphasizes that becoming more aware of what her
body needs really helps her to continue moving
forward.
The same case was discussed by another respondent.
Specifically, she shared that recognizing emotions and
then allowing the 'self' to feel them until becoming
okay can help in coping better. Sometimes in life, as

Psych Educ, 2023, 7: 61-77, Document ID: PEMJ525, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7635962, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article
Perante et al.
70/77
she explained, people do not need someone to
motivate them; instead, there are times that people just
need to listen to themselves and then eventually feel
better. Aside from validating their feelings, some
respondents also acknowledged that they needed a
break in order to deal with the quarter-life crisis. A
respondent mentioned that:
"Yung mga maliliit na mga bagay kong ginagawa,
kunwari simpleng pagfa-fan kay Taylor, nakaka-
motivate sakin; simpleng panonood ng movie, nakaka-
motivate sakin. Kahit sobrang busy ko gumagawa pa
din ako ng kaunting oras para dun sa mga bagay na
yun."
She emphasizes that, aside from the drive that she gets
from her family, she manages to continue with her life
because of her hobbies and the things that make her
happy—further indicating that sometimes a little
escape through them can be very helpful for her.
Another one also expresses their thoughts about the
importance of taking pauses, setting limits, and taking
little steps to attend to commitments and how it can be
helpful in managing, coping with, and avoiding
burnout brought on by the quarter-life crisis.
Specifically, the respondent mentioned that:
"Kapag nakikita ko, nata-track ko na ay sobra na
naman akong nagwo-worry sa ano sa bagay na...
kumbaga iniisip ko na sana 2 years nasa akin na tong
bagay na to... ano, ang ginagawa ko is bini-busy ko
yung sarili ko para ma-distract ako."
And when asked about her reason for doing it, the
respondent explained that:
"Kasi kapag inisip ko nang inisip, magiging worst pa
yung scenario na nasa isip ko and ako lang din yung
magsu-suffer kaya dini-distract ko yung sarili ko
kapag ayun... kinakabahan ako about future."
Taking all of their experiences into consideration and
in an attempt to reduce their detrimental impact on
their development, the respondents' understanding of
this matter brought them to the conclusion that
imposing coping strategies is a vital factor in dealing
with the quarter-life crisis.
These findings were supported by Walsche's (2018)
study, which examines a potential crisis phase during
the early adulthood developmental stage, termed the
quarter-life crisis. This study also analyzes the
association between the criterion measure of coping
self-efficacy and three predictor variables: emotional
intelligence, maximizing decision-making style, and
self-esteem. Positive thinking was highlighted as the
study's primary theme. Respondents underlined the
adaptive advantages of controlling one's thoughts in
order to cultivate appreciation, be more sympathetic to
oneself, and shift negative thinking patterns by
focusing on the positive. The results revealed a
correlation between coping strategies and mental
processes. The findings suggested that the respondents'
ability to actively adjust or control their thoughts
correlated with their ability to manage a crisis.
Discussion
The quarter-life crisis phenomenon makes the day-to-
day lives of emerging adults extremely challenging. As
revealed by the study, the majority of the respondents
felt burdened as they were experiencing becoming the
"inaasahang anak." This further leads them to have a
hard time making decisions as they tend to consider
what is beneficial for their loved ones all the time. The
findings revealed that most of the respondents felt
pressured to succeed in life because they believed that
their families relied on them. Specifically, the majority
mentioned that they felt like, when they turned 18
years old, their family immediately expected them to
be the ones who would take them out of poverty and
hardship and that they felt like they were responsible
for carrying out all of their family’s problems.
Moreover, some respondents also talked about their
tendency to feel guilty over their desire for
independence. According to their statement, one of the
factors that held them back from actually leaving their
homes was their family. They acknowledge their role
as the "inaasahang anak" and that is why they feel like
living independently was not appropriate and that
desiring it is just an act of selfishness. Aside from
these experiences, it was revealed that a small number
of respondents felt overwhelmed by the number of
responsibilities that they have as "inaasahang anak."
They were specifically caught in a situation where they
were unsure whether they should prioritize working or
studying in particular. Doing both things at the same
time, however, causes a detrimental impact on their
development.
In light of the respondents' experiences concerning
their tendency to overthink their future, it was found
that the majority of the respondents admitted that
finding their purpose in life had never been easy. That
is, their fear of future uncertainties made it difficult for
them to map out their plans and have expectations for
the future. Additionally, experiences concerning the

Psych Educ, 2023, 7: 61-77, Document ID: PEMJ525, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7635962, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article
Perante et al.
71/77
respondents' perception of stagnation were another
thing revealed in the study. The respondents admitted
that they are having difficulties moving forward as
they feel like their lives are stuck and only rotational.
They believe that they should be somewhere already,
at the current point in their lives, but yet they have
failed to be there—thus, causing them to feel
unmotivated.
The last set of experiences found in the study were the
experiences of the respondents in finding coping
strategies as they dealt with the challenges brought by
a quarter-life crisis. As revealed by the study, the
quarter-life crisis phenomenon does indeed make the
journey of an emerging adult extremely challenging.
That is why respondents utilized strategies to cope
with the phenomenon. The majority of the respondents
admitted that remembering their dreams and what they
have been fighting for since the beginning drives them
to move forward. Additionally, they also acknowledge
the support they have been receiving since then. As
they stated, being reminded by those who support
them provides them with enough motivation to get
back on track. They also tend to return to God when
everything becomes too heavy for them to handle. And
they never forget to also show care for themselves. In
particular, some of the respondents mentioned the
importance of not pushing themselves to their own
limits and recognizing what their bodies need. By
validating what they feel and becoming aware of what
they need, such as rest, for instance, they are provided
with another amount of strength to continue moving
forward.
In light of the aforementioned experiences of the
respondents amidst a quarter-life crisis, the
respondents were able to make sense of the situation
they are currently in as an emerging adults
experiencing a quarter-life crisis, and had a better
understanding of the proper course of action they have
to take and better ways of dealing with the
phenomenon.
Conclusion
Based on the summary of findings, the following
conclusions are hereby drawn: (1) As they were
transitioning into adulthood, all of the respondents
began to recognize their role as "inaasahang anak,"
which consequently brought them such detrimental
experiences as being pressured, feeling guilty about
wanting to become independent, and feeling
overwhelmed by responsibilities. (2) As the
respondents were caught in a quarter-life crisis
situation, they tended to overthink their future, which
caused them to feel unable to find their life purpose,
and when they discovered that they had not reached
their desired point of success in life, they felt
demotivated or stagnant. (3) Regardless of the
difficulties, their determination to pursue their dreams,
finding social support, having faith in God, and
becoming more aware of themselves, such as
acknowledging their emotions and recognizing what
their bodies needed, supplied them with immense
motivation to continue persisting in life.
Moreover, based on the findings and conclusion of the
study, the following recommendations are hereby
specified: (1) Emerging adults tend to struggle with
quarter-life crisis without their knowledge and are,
thus, unable to utilize coping strategies that could help
them endure this developmental phenomenon. In that
sense, constructing a psychological assessment tool is
significant to help identify and evaluate the degree to
which emerging adults are experiencing a quarter-life
crisis. This will benefit not only the young adults, but
the field of developmental psychology in general. (2)
It is significant for emerging adults to establish support
systems that could help them acquire motivation and
help them get back on track, as this could certainly,
help them overcome the challenges brought by the
quarter-life crisis. That being the case, emerging adults
struggling with quarter-life crisis were recommended
to attend counseling. This could provide them with the
opportunity to learn about the situation that they are in
and gain a greater understanding of themselves and
their own role in the problems that they are possibly
facing. The respondents or college students, in general,
can visit their school guidance counseling office. The
social support and motivational drive that they could
gain from these sources of relief can help them cope
with the challenging day-to-day experiences they face
amidst a quarter-life crisis.
Furthermore, (3) emerging adults are recommended to
increase awareness about the concept of "quarter-life
crisis" as they might face this phenomenon at a certain
point in their lives. Considering that the quarter-life
crisis is as common as the well-known midlife crisis
and yet only a few have been aware of this
phenomenon, it is significant for emerging adults to
attend seminars, courses, and other programs that
place emphasis on discussing and exploring topics
related to the quarter-life crisis. With the help of these
events, they will be able to understand and recognize
that the experiences and challenges that they face
during such a period are normal as they undergo the
transitional stage. (4) Future researchers must look for
other groups of candidates to be respondents in this

Psych Educ, 2023, 7: 61-77, Document ID: PEMJ525, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7635962, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article
Perante et al.
72/77
study. Instead of focusing on graduating college
students, future researchers should consider studying
the day-to-day lives of all college students, at all
levels, who are experiencing a quarter-life crisis at a
selected college university. Likewise, they can also
consider those that have recently graduated, since this
group of people is still within the age range wherein a
quarter-life crisis is common. In this way, they will be
able to explore more of the complexity or diversity of
the experiences of emerging adults at this stage of life.
And more importantly, future researchers will be able
to conduct investigations into the unresolved matters
in this study.
References
Ackerman, C. (2022, June 22). What is gratitude and why is it so
important? PositivePsychology.com. Retrieved November 7, 2022,
from https://positivepsychology.com/gratitude-appreciation/
Adisa, J. (2021, June 29). Moving on: The effect of stagnation on
your mental health and Wellbeing. Resources To Recover. Retrieved
N o ve m be r 7 , 2 0 2 2 , fr om
https://www.rtor.org/2021/06/25/moving-on-the-effect-of-stagnation
-on- y o u r - me n t a l - h e a lt h - a n d -
well be ing /#: ~:t ext =St agn ati on %2C% 20s imp ly% 20p ut
%2C%20is%20the,of%20enthusiasm%20to%20do%20anything
Agarwal, S. (2020). Examining the Phenomenon of Quarter-Life
Crisis Through Artificial Intelligence and the Language of Twitter.
F ro nt ie r s. R e tr ie v ed A pr il 5, 2 022 , f ro m
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00341 /full
Alaffe, R. L. (2017). Gender Differences in the Link between Self-
Esteem and Social Self-Efficacy in Emerging Adulthood. Saint
M a r y ’ s U n iv e r s i t y .
https://library2.smu.ca/bitstream/handle/01/27041/Alaffe_Rebecca_
Honours_2017.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1
Alexander, S. (2018, September 14). How to spend time with God.
Ne wSp ring.cc. Retrieved No vemb er 7, 2022, from
https://newspring.cc/articles/how-to-spend-time-with-god
Ambre, D. (2021, August 20). Emerging Adulthood: The Struggle Is
Real (but Manageable). Ambre Associates. Retrieved May 5, 2022,
f ro m
https://www.ambreassociates.com/blog/emerging-adulthood-the-stru
ggle-is-real-but-manageable
Ambrose, A. (2021, May 14). This is why your life feels stagnant
and what to do about it. Medium. Retrieved November 7, 2022,
f ro m
https://medium.com/better-advice/this-is-why-your-life-feels-stagna
nt-and-what-to-do-about-it-8a460c7d32d7
American College Health Association: National College Health
Assessment. (2018).
American College Health Association. Retrieved November 7, 2022,
f ro m
https://www.acha.org/documents/ncha/NCHA-II_Spring_2018_Refe
rence_Group_Executive_Summary.pdf
Anderson, G. (2020, October 15). Students continue to be stressed
about college, their futures. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/10/15/students-continue
-be-stressed-about-college-their-futures
Argue, S., & Curry, C. (2019, February 15). Emerging adults don't
want to be anything–they want to be something. Fuller Youth
In st it ute . R etr ie ve d No ve mb er 2, 2022 , f rom
https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/blog/emerging-adults-dont-want
Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development
from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist,
55(5), 469–480. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.55.5.469
Arnett , J. J. (2 02 2). Em ergin g A du l tho o d. No ba.
https://nobaproject.com/modules/emerging-adulthood
Baggini, J. & Macaro, A. (2015, January 2). What do we owe our
parents? Subscribe to read | Financial Times. Retrieved November
7 , 2 0 2 2 , f ro m
https://www.ft.com/content/2f5af6fe-8a1f-11e4-9b5f-00144feabdc0
BBC News. (2018, June 13). Coming of age: Why adults in Japan
are get ting young er. Re trieved April 13, 2022, fro m
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44465196#:%7E:text=Adulth
ood%20is%20about%20to%20come,it%20was%20set%20in%2018
76.
Beenen, K. T. (2021). Is The Grass Really Greener or is it Just a
Filter? : How Social Comparison on Instagram Influences Aspects
of Emerging Adults’ Self-Esteem - University of Twente Student
Theses. UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE STUDENT THESES.
Retrieved May 6, 2022, from http://essay.utwente.nl/86417/
Beginning postsecondary students longitudinal study (BPS) -
overview. (2022). National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
Home Page, a part of the U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved
November 7, 2022, from https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/bps/
Better Health Channel. (2019). Moving out of home - tips for young
people - Better Health Channel. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/moving-out
-of-home-tips-for-young-people
Blum, D. (2022, July 29). What psychologists want today's young
adults to know. The New York Times. Retrieved November 7, 2022,
f ro m
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/29/well/family/quarter-life-crisis.
html
Boden, J. M., Sanders, J., Munford, R., & Liebenberg, L. (2018).
The same but different? applicability of a general resilience model to
understand a population of vulnerable youth. Child Indicators
Research, 11(1), 79–96. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-016-9422-y
Bradley University. (2018, June 15). Understanding The Quarter-
life C ri si s. B r ad l ey U ni v er s it y O nl in e.
https://onlinedegrees.bradley.edu/blog/understanding-the-quarter-lif
e-crisis/
Braucher, D. (2020, April 8). Parental Expectations: The Helpful
and the Harmful. Psychology Today. Retrieved 2022, from
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/life-smarts/202004/paren
tal-expectations-the-helpful-and-the-harmful
Bredehoft, D. J. (2021, April 1). The Big Challenge: Jumping From
Adolescence Into Adulthood. Psychology Today.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-age-overindulgence/

Psych Educ, 2023, 7: 61-77, Document ID: PEMJ525, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7635962, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article
Perante et al.
73/77
2 02 1 04 /t he -b ig -c ha ll en ge -j um pi ng -a do le sc en ce -
adulthood#:~:text=Five%20major%20struggles%20occur%20during
,%2Dbetween%2C%20and%20new%20possibilities.
Brigham, T. (2021, December 10). Managing A Quarter Life Crisis
In T h e M id s t Of A C r i s i s . F o rb e s.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tessbrigham/2021/03/24/ managing-a-
quarter-life-crisis-in-the-midst-of-a-crisis/?sh=4d775f246393
Brown, J. (2020). Surprisingly relatable reasons why you're feeling
stuck in life [with solutions]. RSS. Retrieved November 7, 2022,
f ro m
https://www.thementalhealthupdate.com/posts/feeling-stuck-in-life
Capriola, P. (2022, February 16). Coming of Age: Finding Meaning
While Facing the Transition to Adulthood. Strategies for Parents.
R e t r i e v e d A pr i l 2 1 , 2 0 2 2 , f r om
http s://s trate gies f o rpa r e nts . com/c o mi ng-of-ag e/
Career Guide. (2021, February 12). The Complete Guide to
Overcoming Career Stagnation. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/career-st
agnation#:~:text=What%20is%20career%20stagnation%3F,may%2
0lose%20your%20professional%20skills
Cherry, K. (2020, April 14). Industry vs. Inferiority Is Stage Four of
Psychosocial Development. Verywell Mind. Retrieved May 6, 2022,
f ro m
https://www.verywellmind.com/industry-versus-inferiority-2795736
Cherry, K. (2022, August 29). How a social support system
contributes to Psychological Health. Verywell Mind. Retrieved
N o ve m be r 2 , 2 0 2 2 , fr om
https://www.verywellmind.com/social-support-for-psychological-he
alth-4119970
Cherry, K. (2022, February 15). Generativity vs. stagnation in
Psychosocial Development. Verywell Mind. Retrieved November 4,
2 0 2 2 , f ro m
https://www.verywellmind.com/generativity-versus-stagnation-2795
734
Chrissy. (2017, July 11). Emerging Adults - Characteristics and
Population. Voices for Children. Retrieved May 6, 2022, from
https://voicesforchildren.com/emerging-adults-characteristics-and-p
opulation/
Cognitive and Behavioral Consultants. (Ed.). (2020). Adulting is
h a rd . Re t ri e ve d N o ve mb er 7, 2 02 2, fr om
https://www.cbc-psychology.com/resources/adulting-is-hard
Conboye, J., & Warwick-Ching, L. (2021, June 28). ‘I feel left
behind’: graduates struggle to secure good jobs. Financial Times.
R e t r i e v e d M ay 6 , 2 0 2 2 , f r om
https://www.ft.com/content/2fc4e1f4-a5e8-4cbd-9bd8-f51a43b0141
7
Crossman, A. (2020, March 19). What You Need to Understand
About Purposive Sampling. ThoughtCo. Retrieved April 17, 2022,
from https://www.thoughtco.com/purposive-sampling-3026727
Curran, T., & Hill, A. (2022). Young People’s Perceptions of Their
Parents’ Expectations and Criticism Are Increasing Over Time:
Implications for Perfectionism. Psychological Bulletin.
https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000347
Darling, N. (2018, March 11). Emerging adulthood: The twenty-
something stage of life. Psychology Today. Retrieved November 7,
2 0 2 2 , f ro m
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/thinking-about-kids/201
803/ emerging-adulthood-the-twenty-something-stage-life
Delve, Ho, L., & Limpaecher, A. (2020, August 31). How to Do
Thematic Analysis. Essential Guide to Coding Qualitative Data.
https://delvetool.com/blog/thematicanalysis
Domenech, J. M., & Salmeron, A. M. (2020, July 2). Young adults
in the 21st century, a different approach to life? CaixaBank
R es e ar c h. R e t ri ev e d Ma y 5, 2022, f ro m
https://www.caixabankresearch.com/en/economics-markets/labour-
market-demographics/young -adults-21st-centu ry-diffe rent-
approach-life
Elevate Counseling + Wellness. (2021, May 8). Are Yo u
Experiencing Quarter-Life Crisis Symptoms? Here’s How to Deal.
https://www.elevatecounseling.com/blog-post/are-you-experiencing-
quarter-life-crisis-symptoms-heres-how-to-deal
Eurostat. (2021, August 10). Age of young people leaving their
pare ntal hou seh old. R etrieved May 5, 20 22, f rom
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?oldid=49
4351
Fifth Avenue Psychiatry. (2021, May 4). Emerging Adulthood:
Development Between Adolescence and Adulthood. Retrieved May
6 , 2 0 2 2 , f ro m
https://www.psychiatrynyc.com/adult-psychiatry/emerging-adulthoo
d/
Firstdirect.com. (2021). How to turn your quarter-life crisis into a
quarter-life catalyst | first direct. First Direct. Retrieved April 15,
2 0 2 2 , f ro m
https://www1.firstdirect.com/uncovered/heads-up/quarter-life-cataly
st/
Flynn, S. (2021). Critical disability studies and quarter life crisis:
Theorising life stage transitional crisis for disabled emerging adults.
D i sa b i l it y & S o c i e t y , 1 – 2 3 .
http s: //d oi. org /10 .10 80 /096 87 599 .202 0.1 822 78 3
Formplus Blog. (2021, September 27). Purposive Sampling:
Definition, Types, Examples. Formplus. Retrieved April 17, 2022,
from https://www.formpl.us/blog/purposive-sampling
Fortis, S. (2020, July 17). What do we owe our parents? Medium.
R e t r i e v e d N o ve m b er 7 , 2 0 2 2 , f ro m
https://medium.com/the-philosophers-stone/what-do-we-owe-our-pa
rents-dc666c39b592
Fox, M. (2021, April 15). Out of work and desperate: Here’s what
college graduates are facing and what they can do about it. CNBC.
R e t r i e v e d M ay 6 , 2 0 2 2 , f r om
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/15/what-college-graduates-can-do-a
bout-being-out-of-work.html
Galanaki, E., & Leontopoulou, S. (2017). Criteria for the transition
to adulthood, developmental features of emerging adulthood, and
views of the future among Greek studying youth. Europe’s Journal
o f P s y c h o l o g y , 1 3 (3 ) , 4 1 7 – 4 4 0 .
http s: //d oi. org /10 .59 64 /ejo p.v 13 i3.1 32 7
Gallagher, J. (2021, September 22). Signs and Symptoms of Midlife
Cr isis . Ta lksp ace. Re trieved April 12, 2022, from
https://www.talkspace.com/blog/midlife-crisis-what-is/
Ghilarducci, T. (2020, October 30). When to give money to your

Psych Educ, 2023, 7: 61-77, Document ID: PEMJ525, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7635962, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article
Perante et al.
74/77
parents (and when not to). mint. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from
https://www.livemint.com/opinion/online-views/when-to-give-mone
y-to-your-parents-and-when-not-to-11604070911612.html
Gonser, S. (2018, April 12). Students are being prepared for jobs
that no longer exist. Here’s how that could change. NBC News.
R e t r i e v e d A pr i l 1 3 , 2 0 2 2 , f r om
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/students-are-being-prepare
d-jobs-no-longer-exist-here-s-n865096
Goodman, B. (2020, May 11). Faith in a time of crisis. American
Psychological Association. Retrieved November 3, 2022, from
https://www.apa.org/topics/covid-19/faith-crisis
Gordon, S. (2022, January 7). Do You Suffer From FOMO? Find
Out How to Cope. Verywell Family. Retrieved May 6, 2022, from
https://www.verywellfamily.com/how-fomo-impacts-teens-and-you
ng-adults-4174625
Gulotta, J. (2022, October 11). Quarter life crisis: Signs, causes, &
how to cope. Choosing Therapy. Retrieved November 19, 2022,
from https://www.choosingtherapy.com/quarter-life-crisis/
Gray, E. (2022, February 18). Quarter Life Crisis? The British CBT
& C o u n s e l l i n g S er v i ce .
https://www.thebritishcbtcounsellingservice.com/2013/01/what-is-th
e-quarter-life-crisis/
Gullo, C. (2018, September 17). What Is Emerging Adulthood?
Cindy Gullo Counseling. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from
https://cindygullo.com/what-is-emerging-adulthood/
Ho, L., & Limpaecher, A. (2022, May 6). What is Phenomenological
R e s e a r c h D e si g n? D el v e.
http s: //d elv eto ol .com /bl og/ phe no me nol ogy
Hochberg, Z., & Konner, M. (2020). Emerging Adulthood, a Pre-
adult Life-History Stage. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 10.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2019.00918
Hill, N. E., & Redding, A. (2021, April 28). The Real Reason Young
Adults Seem Slow to 'Grow Up' The Atlantic. Retrieved May 5,
2 0 2 2 , f ro m
https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2021/04/real-reason-you
ng-adults-seem-slow-grow/618733/
Ibarra, H. (2021, February 1). Reinventing your career in the time of
coronavirus. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved November 7,
2 0 2 2 , f ro m
https://hbr.org/2020/04/reinventing-your-career-in-the-time-of-coron
avirus
Intraconnections Counselling. (2019, November 6). The Quarter
Life Crisis: How The Self Esteem Movement Played A Role.
R e t r i e v e d M ay 6 , 2 0 2 2 , f r om
https://www.intraconnectionscounseling.com/blog-1/2019/11/5/the-
quarter-life-crisis-how-the-self-esteem-movement-played-a-role
Jordan, M. (2021, August 26). Purposive Sampling 101 | Alchemer
Blog. A lchem er. R etri eved Ap ril 17, 2022, from
https://www.alchemer.com/resources/blog/purposive-sampling-101/
#:%7E:text=What%20is%20Purposive%20Sampling%3F,to%20part
icipate%20in%20their%20surveys
Kajander‐Unkuri, S., Koskinen, S., Brugnolli, A., Cerezuela Torre,
M., Elonen, I., Kiele, V., Lehwaldt, D., Löyttyniemi, E., Nemcová,
J., Oliveira, C. S., Palese, A., Rua, M., Salminen, L., ŠAteková, L.,
Stubner, J., Sveinsdóttir, H., Visiers‐Jiménez, L., & Leino‐Kilpi,
H. (2020). The level of competence of graduating nursing students
in 10 European countries—Comparison between countries. Nursing
Open, 8(3), 1048–1062. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.712
Ketty, M. (2021, November 29). Low Self-Esteem & Puberty.
S tu d y. Co m. R et ri ev ed M ay 4, 2 02 2, f ro m
https://study.com/academy/lesson/low-self-esteem-puberty.html
Kiger, M., & Varpio, L. (2020). Thematic analysis of qualitative
data: AMEE Guide No. 131. Taylor and Francis Online, 42:8, 846–
854. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2020.1755030
Kimuyu, P. (2017). GRIN - Tensions During the Transition from
Adolescence into Adulthood. GRIN. Retrieved May 6, 2022, from
https://www.grin.com/document/382021
Kuzma-Floyd, E. (2019). How to pursue your dreams when no one
else believes in them. How to Pursue Your Dreams When No One
Else Believes in Them. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from
https://rachelbowler.com/posts/how-to-pursue-your-dreams
Lally, M., & Val entin e-French, S. (2019). LI FESPAN
DEVELOPMENT A Psychological Perspective Second Edition.
https://dept.clcillinois.edu/psy/LifespanDevelopment.pdf
Lally, M., & Valentine-French, S. (2020, May 18). Emerging and
Early Adulthood – Parenting and Family Diversity Issues.
P re ss bo ok s . R et ri ev ed A pr il 5, 2022, fro m
https://iastate.pressbooks.pub/parentingfamilydiversity/chapter/early
-adulthood/
Layland, E. K., Hill, B. J., & Nelson, L. J. (2017). Freedom to
explore the self: How emerging adults use leisure to develop
identity. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 13(1), 78–91.
https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2017.1374440
Lazzara, J. (2020, June 26). Chapter 8: Emerging Adulthood –
Lifespan Development. Pressbooks. Retrieved April 5, 2022, from
https://open.maricopa.edu/devpsych/chapter/chapter-8-emerging-adu
lthood/#:%7E:text=The%20explorations%20of%20emerging%20ad
ulthood,from%20one%20residence%20to%20another
Lint, I. V. (2022). Your dreams are the core essence of your life.
Enthusiasm – Ineke Van Lint. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from
https://enthousiasme.info/en/information/articles/?article=43
Lowe, S. R., Dillon, C. O., Rhodes, J. E., & Zwiebach, L. (2012).
Defining Adult Experiences. Journal of Adolescent Research, 28(1),
31–68. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558411435854
Martin, S. (2019, November 15). Why its so important to validate
yourself and how to start. Psych Central. Retrieved November 3,
2 0 2 2 , f ro m
https://psychcentral.com/blog/imperfect/2019/11/why-its-so-importa
nt-to-validate-yourself-and-how-to-start
Mattys, L., Luyckx, K., Noens, I., & Baeyens, D. (2020). Features of
Flemish Emerging Adults and their Association with Demographic
Mar ker s. Psy cho lo gi ca Be lg ica , 60(1 ), 37–54.
http s: //d oi. org /10 .53 34 /pb .514
Matud, M., Díaz, A., Bethencourt, J., & Ibáñez, I. (2020). Stress and
psychological distress in emerging adulthood: A gender analysis.
Jo ur na l of C li ni ca l M ed i ci ne , 9 (9 ), 2 85 9.
http s: //d oi. org /10 .33 90 /jcm 90 9285 9
McGuire, A. (2019, January 3). What do we owe our parents?
Institute for Family Studies. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from

Psych Educ, 2023, 7: 61-77, Document ID: PEMJ525, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7635962, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article
Perante et al.
75/77
https://ifstudies.org/blog/what-do-we-owe-our-parents
Mei, Y. (2017, September 10). China’s Millennials Are Dealing
With a Quarter-Life Crisis. Thrive. Retrieved April 12, 2022, from
https://thriveglobal.com/stories/china-s-millennials-are-dealing-with
-a-quarter-life-crisis/
Mesrobian, C. (2021, December 6). I'm struggling in college... now
what? Rasmussen University. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from
https://www.rasmussen.edu/student-experience/college-life/strugglin
g-in-college/
Morin, A. (2020, July 13). 7 tips for finding your purpose in life.
Ve rywell Mind . Retriev ed Nov embe r 7, 2022 , from
https://www.verywellmind.com/tips-for-finding-your-purpose-in-life
-4164689
Mouatsou, C., & Koutra, K. (2021). Emotion regulation in relation
with resilience in emerging adults: The mediating role of self-
e s t e e m . C u r r e n t P s y c h o l o g y .
http s://d o i.o r g/10. 1007 / s121 4 4 -021- 01 42 7-x
NHS choices. (2020). Encouraging Independence in Young People.
R e t r i e v e d N o v em b e r 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 , fr o m
https://www.cambscommunityservices.nhs.uk/what-we-do/children-
young-people-health-services-cambridgeshire/cambridgeshire-0-19-
healthy-child-programme/childhood-development/encouraging-
independence-in-teens
Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017).
Thematic Analysis: Striving to Meet the Trustworthiness Criteria.
Internatio nal Journal of Qualitati ve Methods, 16 (1).
https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847
O'Boyle, E. (2020, April 28). The importance of faith in times of
crisis. Saint Joseph's University. Retrieved November 3, 2022, from
https://www.sju.edu/news/importance-faith-times-crisis
OnlineSchools.org. (2022, October 26). The science of taking a
b r ea k. R et ri ev ed N o ve m be r 3, 2 02 2, f ro m
https://www.onlineschools.org/science-of-study-breaks/
Orben, A., Tomova, L., & Blakemore, S.-J. (2020). The effects of
social deprivation on adolescent development and Mental Health.
The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 4(8), 634 –640.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s2352-4642(20)30186-3
Oviatt, D. P., Baumann, M. R., Bennett, J. M., & Garza, R. T.
(2017). Undesirable effects of working while in college: Work-
school conflict, substance use, and health. The Journal of
P s yc h o lo g y , 1 5 1 ( 5 ) , 4 3 3 – 4 5 2 .
http s: //d oi. org /10 .10 80 /002 23 980 .201 7.1 314 92 7
Owolade, T. (2022, July 6). This is an age of stagnation, and young
people are stuck in perpetual adolescence. New Statesman.
R e t r i e v e d N o ve m be r 4 , 2 0 2 2 , f ro m
https://www.newstatesman.com/comment/2022/07/age-stagnation-y
oung-people-stuck-perpetual-adolescence
Park, K., & Yang, T. C. (2017). The Long-term Effects of Self-
Esteem on Depression: The Roles of Alcohol and Substance Use
During Young Adulthood. The Sociological Quarterly, 58(3), 429–
446. https://doi.org/10.1080/00380253.2017.1331718
Peralta, J. (2018, August 28). Love, and life goals: Understanding
your quarter-life crisis. CNN Philippines. Retrieved May 5, 2022,
f ro m
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/lifestyle/2018/8/28/quarter-life-cris
is-millennial-young-adult.html
Petsinger, K. (2022, September 26). Feeling stuck? here's why and
how to get unstuck in life. Lifehack. Retrieved November 7, 2022,
from https://www.lifehack.org/813291/how-to-get-unstuck-in-life
Piskorz, J. (2018, December 30). Me and my quarter-life crisis: a
millennial asks what went wrong. The Guardian. Retrieved March
2 5 , 2 0 2 2 , f ro m
https://www.theguardian.com/global/2018/dec/30/me-and-my-quarte
r-life-crisis-a-millennial-asks-what-went-wrong
Regan, S. (2022, February 17). Are You Going Through A Quarter-
Life Crisis? What Experts Want You To Know. Mindbodygreen.
R e t r i e v e d A pr i l 1 1 , 2 0 2 2 , f r om
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/quarter-life-crisis
Riñoza, M. J. K. M. (2017). Ang Inaasahang Anak: Exploring the
experience of family obligation by Filipino young adults from poor
families. Animo Repository. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from
https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/5624/
Robins, A., & Wilner, A. (2001). Quarterlife Crisis: The Unique
Challenge in Your Twenties (New edition). Penguin Putnam Inc.
Robinson, O. C. (2017). Emerging Adulthood in a European
Context. Google Books. Retrieved April 11, 2022, from
https://books.google.com.ph/books?hl=en&lr=&id=rYs0CwAAQB
AJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA17&ots=XejasBvqOO&sig=Ez5ILbPUwuUR8v
Ec5mS5O6eDI2E&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
Robinson, O. C., Cimporescu, M., & Thompson, T. (2020).
Wellbeing, Developmental Crisis and Residential Status in the Year
After Graduating from Higher Education: A 12-Month Longitudinal
Study. Journal of Adult Development, 28(2), 138–148.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-020-09361-1
Robinson, O. C., Demetre, J. D., & Litman, J. A. (2017). Adult life
stage and crisis as predictors of curiosity and authenticity: Testing
inferences from Erikson’s lifespan theory. International Journal of
Behavioral Development, 41(3), 426-431.
Ruyle, M. (2021, February 1). Students Uncertain but Hopeful About
Future. Students uncertain but hopeful about future. Retrieved
N o ve m be r 7 , 2 0 2 2 , fr om
https://stattrak.amstat.org/2021/02/01/students-uncertain-but-hopeful
/
Scott, E. (2022, March 31). How to take a break from work (and
Why you need to). Verywell Mind. Retrieved November 3, 2022,
f ro m
https://www.verywellmind.com/why-you-should-take-a-break-3144
576
Schroeder, J. (2016, September 8). Millennials, This Is What Your
Qu art er -L if e C ri si s Is Te ll ing Yo u. F orb es .
ht tp s: // ww w. fo rb es. co m/ si te s/j ul es sc hro ed er/ 20 16/
09/08/millennials-this-is-what-your-quarter-life-crisis-is-telling-
you/?sh=529cf0283262
Shallcross, L. (2016, April 22). Validating the quarter-life crisis.
C o u n s e l i n g T o d a y .
https://ct.counseling.org/2016/04/validating-the-quarter-life-crisis/
Sharpe, R. (2022, June 20). Feeling trapped? 15 ways to escape the
life you have. Declutter The Mind. Retrieved November 7, 2022,
from https://declutterthemind.com/blog/feeling-trapped/
Shear, L. (2020, December 23). Growing up vs. adulting: The
journey toward adulthood has changed. Zendesk. Retrieved

Psych Educ, 2023, 7: 61-77, Document ID: PEMJ525, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7635962, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article
Perante et al.
76/77
November 7, 2022, from https://www.zendesk.com/blog/adulting/
Siy, R. (2021, September 3). Why It’s Normal for Filipino and
Chinoy Adults to Live With Their Parents. Chinoy TV 菲華電視台.
R e t r i e v e d A pr i l 2 2 , 2 0 2 2 , f r om
https://www.chinoy.tv/why-its-normal-for-filipino-and-chinoy-adult
s-to-live-with-their-parents/
Smith, J. (2020, November 17). Most students don't expect a 'clear
career path' after graduation. Workplace Insight. Retrieved
N o ve m be r 7 , 2 0 2 2 , fr om
https://workplaceinsight.net/most-students-dont-expect-a-clear-caree
r-path-after-graduation/
Summersault, A. (2020, December 12). Ungrateful children:
Overcoming the debt your parents believe you owe them. Medium.
R e t r i e v e d N o ve m be r 7 , 2 0 2 2 , f ro m
https://medium.com/be-unique/ungrateful-children-overcoming-the-
d e b t - y o u r - p a r e n t s - b e l i e v e - y o u - o w e - t h e m -
e 9 e f 6 4 c 2 7 a c 5 # : ~ : t e x t = Y o u % 2 0 d o n % E 2 %
80%99t%20owe%20them,resentment%20they%20choose%20to%2
0harbor
Syed, M. (2015). Emerging Adulthood. Oxford Handbooks Online.
https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199795574.013.9
Taylor, J. (2018). The Effects of Faith on Personalit y
Characteristics. The effects of faith on personality characteristics.
R e t r i e v e d N o ve m be r 3 , 2 0 2 2 , f ro m
https://www.mckendree.edu/academics/scholars/issue1/taylor.htm
Tenny, S., Brannan, G., Brannan, J., & Sharts-Hopko, N. (2021,
May 30). Qualitative Study. National Library of Medicine.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470395/
Toppo, C., Cacciatore, M., Raggi, A., & Leonardi, M. (2022, April
11). Young workers: Facing the feeling of uncertainty. Empower
Pr oj ec t. R et ri ev ed N ov emb er 7, 2 02 2, fr om
https://empower-project.eu/empowered-while-working/young-worke
rs-facing-the-feeling-of-uncertainty/
Torralba, J., Oviedo, L., & Canteras, M. (2021). Religious coping in
adolescents: New evidence and relevance. Humanities and Social
S c i e n c e s C o m m u n i c a t i o n s , 8 (1 ) .
http s://d o i.o r g/10. 1057 / s415 9 9 -021- 00 79 7-8
Trible, H. B. (2015). Emerging adulthood: Defining the life stage
and its developmental tasks. JMU Scholarly Commons. Retrieved
A pr i l 1 5 , 2 0 2 2 , f ro m
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/edspec201019/2/?utm_source=commo
ns.lib.jmu.edu%2Fedspec201019%2F2&utm_medium=PDF&utm_c
ampaign=PDFCoverPages
Twiddy, H., Hanna, J., & Haynes, L. (2017). Growing pains:
Understanding the needs of emerging adults with chronic pain.
B ri t is h Jo ur na l of Pa in , 11 (3 ), 108–11 8 .
http s: //d oi. org /10 .11 77 /204 94 6371 770 96 41
University of New Hampshire. (2020, July 19). What is Emerging
Adulthood. Psychological & Counseling Services. Retrieved March
27, 2022, from https://www.unh.edu/pacs/emerging-adulthood
Upshaw, W. N. (2020, October 1). Signs You Are Experiencing
Depression vs. A Midlife Crisis. NeuroSpa. Retrieved April 12,
2 0 2 2 , f ro m
https://neurospatms.com/signs-you-are-experiencing-depression-vs-a
-midlife-crisis/
Van Tilburg, W. A., & Igou, E. R. (2018). Dreaming of a brighter
future: Anticipating happiness instills meaning in life. Journal of
H a pp i n es s S t u d i e s , 2 0 ( 2 ), 5 4 1 – 5 5 9 .
http s://d o i.o r g/10. 1007 / s109 0 2 -018-9960-8
Vartanian, V. (2020, June 19). Powering Through Your Quarter-Life
C r i s i s . T h e M us e .
https://www.themuse.com/advice/powering-through-your-quarterlife
-crisis
Vasquez-Pinggolio, J. P. R. (2015, April). Development and
Validation of Quarterlife Crisis Scale for Filipinos. Researchgate.
R e t r i e v e d J un e 2 0 2 2 , f r om
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327764080_Development_
and_Validation_of_Quarterlife_Crisis_Scale_for_Filipinos
Villatte, A., Piché, G., & Benjamin, S. (2022). Perceived support
and sense of social belonging in young adults who have a parent
with a m ent al illness . F ronti ers in Psychiatry , 12 .
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.793344
Viner, J., & Tanner, J. (2021, July 23). Psychiatric Disorders In
Emerging Adulthood. Yellowbrick. Retrieved April 13, 2022, from
https://yellowbrickprogram.com/papers/psychiatric-disorders-in-eme
rging-adulthood/
Vogel, K. (2021, November 19). 10 ways to stop feeling stuck in life.
Psych Ce ntr al. Retriev ed No vem ber 7, 2022, from
https://psychcentral.com/blog/feeling-stuck-in-life-tips-to-move-for
ward
Walshe, O. (2018, March). The Quarter-Life Crisis: Investigating
emotional intelligence, self-esteem and maximization as predictors
of coping self-efficacy. Retrieved April 13, 2022, from
https://esource.dbs.ie/bitstream/handle/10788/3449/hdip_walshe_o_
2018.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y#:~:text=This%20aspect%20tha
t%20Argyle%20(2008,2008)%20argues%20which%20is%20concer
ned
Wang, Y., Wu, W., Song, H., Wu, M., & Cai, H. (2017). The
development of implicit self-esteem during emerging adulthood.
Social Psychological and Personality Science, 9(7), 835–843.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550617726831
Warrender, D., & Milne, R. (2020, February 24). How use of social
media and social comparison affect mental health. Nursing Times.
https://www.nursingtimes.net/news/mental-health/how-use-of-social
-media-and-social-comparison-affect-mental-health-24-02-2020/
Weir, K. (2019, January). Give me a break. Monitor on Psychology.
R e t r i e v e d N o ve m b er 3 , 2 0 2 2 , f ro m
http s: // www. apa .or g/m oni to r/20 19/ 01/ bre ak
Weiss, S. (2019, January 22). 7 things you don't owe your parents -
or anyo ne. Bustle. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from
https://www.bustle.com/p/7-things-you-dont-owe-your-parents-anyo
ne-15726946
Witkowski, G. (2017). The Effect of Emotionally Validating and
Invalidating Responses on Emotional Self-Efficacy (dissertation).
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at
ScholarWork.
Wood, D., Crapnell, T., Lau, L., Bennett, A., Lotstein, D., Ferris,
M., & Kuo, A. (2017, November 21). Handbook of Life Course
Health Development [Internet]. National Library of Medicine.
R e t r i e v e d 2 0 2 2 , f ro m
http s: // www. ncb i.n lm. nih .go v/ book s/ NB K54 37 12/

Psych Educ, 2023, 7: 61-77, Document ID: PEMJ525, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7635962, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article
Perante et al.
77/77
Yeler, Z. (2021, June 30). Quarter Life Crisis among Emerging
Adults in Turkey and Its Relationship with Intolerance of
Uncertainty. Turkish Psychological Counseling and Guidance
Journal. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/tpdrd/issue/63470/960767
Yeler, Z., Berber, K., Ozdogan, H.K., & Figen C.O.K (2021, June
30). Quarter Life Crisis among Emerging Adults in Turkey and Its
Relationship with Intolerance of Uncertainty. Turkish Psychological
C o u n s e l i n g a n d G u i da n c e J o u r na l .
https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/tpdrd/issue/63470/960767
Yu, X., Kong, X., Cao, Z., Chen, Z., Zhang, L., & Yu, B. (2022).
Social Support and family functioning during adolescence: A two-
wave cross-lagged study. International Journal of Environmental
Re sea rc h and Pub li c Hea lt h, 19 (1 0) , 6 327 .
http s: //d oi. org /10 .33 90 /ije rp h19 106 327
Zetlin, M. (2021, January 5). What’s the Perfect Age to Start Your
Career? It’s Not What You Think, According to a Stanford
Psychologi st. Inc .Com. Retrieved May 6, 2022, from
https://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/laura-carstensen-stanford-psychol
ogist-start-career-at-40-entry- lev el-reti rement-wo rk-life-
balance.html
Zilca, R. (2017, July 20). Why Your Late Twenties Is the Worst Time
of Yo ur L if e . H ar va rd B us in e ss Re v ie w.
https://hbr.org/2016/03/why-your-late-twenties-is-the-worst-time-of-
your-life
Affiliations and Corresponding Information
Lhyza Perante
Jesus Is Lord Colleges Foundation, Inc. - Philippines
Jhoana Paola Lunesto
Jesus Is Lord Colleges Foundation, Inc. - Philippines
Justine Coritana
Jesus Is Lord Colleges Foundation, Inc. - Philippines
Chloie Nicole Cruz
Jesus Is Lord Colleges Foundation, Inc. - Philippines
John Mark Espiritu
Jesus Is Lord Colleges Foundation, Inc. - Philippines
Amor Artiola, MAIP
Jesus Is Lord Colleges Foundation, Inc. - Philippines
Wenifreda Templonuevo, PhD
Jesus Is Lord Colleges Foundation, Inc. - Philippines
Jhoselle Tus
Jesus Is Lord Colleges Foundation, Inc. - Philippines