Grant: Operating Grant

Young adulthood is a critical stage of life when healthy life styles, social supports, and economic futures are established. However, research shows that this age group is at higher risk than either adolescents (under age 18) or adults (over age 29) for substance abuse, suicide, deaths due to injuries and homicides, and relationship violence. Youth transitioning into young adulthood across the recent period of economic downturn are being described by the media as the "lost generation" who are "mired in debt and working in dead end jobs" and deferring long term relationships and child rearing (see DOC ZONE's Generation Jobless). Yet, there is little empirical research on the predictors of health, healthy life styles, and social determinants of health in Canadian young adults. Research informed guidelines for preventive health care are not available for this age group, and access to medical care by a regular family doctor is limited. The proposed study of predictors of young adult health trajectories builds on five waves of data from the Victoria Healthy Youth Survey (V-HYS), collected every two years (2003 to 2011) from 664 Canadian youth (ages 12 to 18 in 2003). Our past V-HYS research focused on whether and how adolescents' characteristics and experiences influence differences in health trajectories in emerging adulthood (the early twenties). Our findings show that injuries, self-harm, alcohol and substance use, dating violence, bullying, and mental illnesses in adolescence affect health, education, and romantic relationships do have consequences for their health and well-being as young adults. In this next phase of our research, we contribute to a much needed understanding of the determinants of health outcomes in young adulthood (the late twenties) when the majority of our sample is leaving school, entering the labour market, and making lasting decisions about social support networks, romantic relationships, family formation, and life styles.