Abstract—Emerging adults have been conceptualized as a
developmental stage which is full of uncertainty and ambiguity.
And the mental health issues among this group of emerging
adults are worrying as there was a prevalence of depression
found from this group of young people in Malaysia. This study
aims to investigate a group of emerging adults who have gone
through depression to understand their experience going
through depression. A snowball sampling method was
employed and in-depth interviews were conducted with eight
research participants aged 18-24 who suffered from depression
but were on their way of recovery. An interpretative
phenomenological analysis was carried out for data analysis.
The triggering events were inability to cope with transition
from high schools to universities or transition from being single
to having intimate relationships, and also issue like loved one
being diagnosed as having cancer. The findings reveal
challenges faced during this transitional stage especially
experience of rejection. The recovery stage involves reflection,
supports from the psychosocial context and religious guidance.
This research highlights the vulnerability of transitional stage
of emerging adults in highly industrialized or
post-industrialized countries.
Index Terms—Emerging adults, mental health, depression,
life transition, Malaysian youth.
J. K. Kok is with the Department of Psychology & Counselling, Faculty
of Arts & Social Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kampar Campus,
Malaysia (e-mail: kokjk@utar.edu.my).
[PDF]
Cite: Jin Kuan Kok, " Life Transition for the Emerging Adults and Their Mental
Health," International Journal of Social Science and Humanity vol. 5, no. 12, pp. 1035-1039, 2015.