Polycrisis, Emotional Regulation, Personality Traits, and Well-Being of Young People Entering Adulthood

Despite substantial investments in mental health care and healthcare accessibility in Europe, the mental well-being of young people is on a concerning decline. This deterioration is further exacerbated by recent global crises, notably the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, climate change, and the deepening economic crisis leading to increased poverty and social exclusion. The main research goal was to investigate how young people entering adulthood experience polycrisis concerning stress, responsibility for crises, and self-perceived proximity. The study involved 403 young adult Poles, taking high school final exams in the years 2020–21. Assessment tools included the Brief Symptoms Inventory 18, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, Personality Inventory for ICD-11, and Flourishing Index. Using the latent class analysis, three distinct profiles were identified, representing diverse experiences of polycrisis. Group 1 primarily experienced stress related to economic crisis, reported lower depression rates and maintained relatively stable economic well-being. Group 2 confronted various aspects of polycrisis, excluding COVID-19, and carried a strong sense of responsibility for the climate crisis while experiencing emotional challenges. Group 3 experienced the full spectrum of polycrisis, showing tendencies towards perfectionism and rule rigidity, without specific mental health problems. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for developing models of young adults’ post-crisis functioning and for designing early, targeted interventions. Clinical Trial: The clinical trial identifier is NCT05930652.