As young adults, many millennials were more apprehensive about growing up than previous generations. But those fears appear to ease with age, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
The study, published in Developmental Psychology, examined how “maturity fears” — fears about growing up and a desire to return to the security of childhood — changed among college students over time. Researchers compared students surveyed in 1982, 1992 and 2002, then examined responses from the same generational cohorts 20 years later. They found that more recent generations of college students reported greater fears about growing up than earlier generations. Yet across nearly all groups, those fears declined as people moved further into adulthood.
“Our findings suggest that fears about growing older are not necessarily fixed; they appear to decrease for many people as they gain experience navigating adult roles and responsibilities,” says study author April Smith, PhD, of Auburn University. At the same time, she notes that more recent generations consistently reported higher maturity fears, suggesting that broader societal factors — including economic uncertainty, social pressures and concerns about the future — may influence how young people perceive adulthood.
Smith and her colleagues analysed data from 1,200 college students surveyed in 1982, 1992 and 2002. Participants rated their agreement with statements such as wishing they could return to the security of childhood or believing childhood was the happiest period of life. Among both men and women, students surveyed in 2002 — millennials — reported significantly greater maturity fears than those surveyed in 1992, largely members of Generation X. The 1992 students, in turn, reported higher levels than the 1982 group, largely baby boomers.
When the cohorts answered the same questions 20 years later, however, a different pattern emerged. Maturity fears decreased with age among nearly every group of men and women, with the exception of men in the 1982 cohort. The decline was particularly pronounced among the younger cohorts, meaning that by midlife, differences between the generations had narrowed considerably. One possible explanation is that fears often diminish through experience. Young adults may initially view ageing and adult responsibilities as uncertain or beyond their control. Still, those concerns may lessen as they gain independence, security and confidence in navigating adult life.
An important unanswered question is why newer generations experienced greater maturity fears in the first place. “Our study shows that these cohort differences exist, but it doesn’t tell us exactly what’s driving them,” Smith says. Future research could explore factors such as economic uncertainty, climate concerns, major societal disruptions including the COVID-19 pandemic, and the growing influence of social media. If younger people increasingly perceive the future as uncertain, Smith suggests, it makes sense that entering adulthood could feel more daunting. The encouraging finding, however, is that these fears are not necessarily permanent: for many people, growing up appears to become easier with time.
More information: April Smith et al, Employing a cohort-sequential design spanning 30 years to understand trajectories of maturity fears, Developmental Psychology. DOI: 10.1037/dev0002219
Journal information: Developmental Psychology Provided by American Psychological Association
