Remembering the way forward: How traditional and indigenous coming of age rites of passage can support mental health and social connection in the U.S

Abstract

Purpose

Mental health in young adults and widespread social disconnection are two intersecting crises seen in the U.S. We examine the impact of individualist cultural values in the U.S. on these crises and explore how traditional cultures have leveraged the sensitive period of adolescence to support mental health and social cohesion through coming-of-age rites of passage.

Methods

In this retrospective study, young adults were emailed a survey asking about their adolescent experiences of coming-of-age rites of passage and their current physical health, mental health and coping ability. We looked at associations between rites of passage experiences and outcomes in the n = 860 young adults who completed the survey.

Results

Having diverse rites of passage experiences was not associated with later outcomes, however, we did see associations between several individual experiences and outcomes. Having a connection with nature or the larger universe, giving something up from childhood and getting something symbolic of the transition were all significantly associated with outcomes.

Discussion

This paper explores how coming-of-age rites of passage can address the mental health and social disconnection crises in the U.S., setting the stage for more rigorous investigation of the topic. We recommend leveraging existing rites of passage programs and facilitators to help generate hypotheses, and to use more robust methods to identify mechanisms of action towards building multilevel rites of passage interventions to improve mental health and social connection.