Characteristics of Emerging Adulthood and Emotion Dysregulation for Predicting Well-Being: Contributions of Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Emerging adulthood is a developmental stage where individuals may face challenges in emotion regulation and well-being. While there has been progress in well-being research in recent years, studies analyzing the combination of emerging adulthood characteristics and dysregulation are limited. This research analyzed the contribution of emerging adulthood characteristics, in combination with emotion dysregulation, in predicting well-being using Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and regression models. The study assessed the characteristics of emerging adulthood, dysregulation, and psychological well-being in a sample of 209 Spanish emerging adults. The results highlighted the role of the identity exploration, experimentation, feeling in between, self-focused and dysregulation in relation to levels of well-being. Low experimentation and identity exploration may contribute to high levels of well-being when combined with other factors. The findings demonstrate the usefulness of Qualitative Comparative Analysis in understanding the combination of variables that determine high and low levels of psychological well-being in emerging adulthood.