Establishing a Reciprocal and Recursive Relationship Between Sociopolitical Development and Wellbeing for Early Emerging Adult College Students When “There Was a lot Happening in Both the World. . . and Within My Own Personal World”

Abstract

The existing, primarily quantitative literature suggests that for emerging adult college students (EACS), wellbeing has a complex relationship with sociopolitical development (i.e., the development of one’s awareness of and capacity to transform societal oppressions) that merits further unpacking. This study aimed to understand EACS’ reflections on their wellbeing and sociopolitical development pre-pandemic and during the pandemic, from 2019 to 2022. We conducted participatory, in-depth interviews with 27 diverse EACS across the USA (Mage = 21.7; SD = 0.8) in November 2022; 52% cisgender women, 19% transgender and gender diverse; 48% LGBQ+; 33% Asian, 33% White, 15% Black, 11% Multiracial, and 7% Latine. Using thematic analysis, we found that wellbeing, especially mental health, was a precursor for sociopolitical development. Simultaneously, wellbeing in the forms of safety, belonging, and self-actualization motivated and supported sociopolitical development. Ultimately, many participants reported a recursive and reciprocal relationship between wellbeing and sociopolitical development. We also found that participants faced ongoing challenges related to their developmental trajectories through emerging adulthood and contextual experiences within an oppressive sociopolitical context and the COVID-19 pandemic. We encourage developing ways to support wellbeing within spaces that aim to foster sociopolitical development.