Young Adults' Perceptions of Social Clock and Adulthood Roles in the Turkish Population

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine how adulthood roles (marriage and parenthood) and the perceived timing of the achievement of these roles (early, on-time, late) were related to well-being (depression and life satisfaction) and need satisfaction (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) in young adults. The sample consisted of 433 female and 244 male (N = 685) participants. Results revealed that individuals who perceived themselves as on-time for marriage reported higher levels of well-being and need satisfaction compared with individuals who perceived themselves as early or late. In addition, individuals who perceived themselves as having children on-time reported lower levels of depression and higher levels of need satisfaction compared with individuals who perceived themselves as early. For female participants, employed women have higher relatedness than non-employed women. In addition, married participants have more relatedness and life-satisfaction, and less depression than unmarried participants. The results suggest that fulfilling adulthood roles and the perceived timing of these roles affects well-being and need satisfaction.