The present study examines the conscience background of prosocial behaviour in emerging adult men and women, in relation to perceived relationships with parents and siblings in the present and during childhood/adolescence. A total of 790 18- to 25-year-olds were administered the TOSCA-A, AMES, MSR, PROM-R, PTM, PBI, PCS-YSR and LSRS measures. Cluster analysis of the data on the cognitive, affective and value components of conscience revealed two profiles: (a) a more mature and higher moral engagementprofile, characterized by greater internalization of moral values, more mature prosocial moral reasoning, higher tendencies to experience moral emotions (shame, guilt), empathy (cognitive, affective), and sympathy, and lower moral disengagement, and (b) a less mature and lower moral engagement profile with the opposite characteristics. A second cluster analysis revealed two profiles of perceived relationships in the family context: (a) a profile of more supportive relationships, characterised by more caring and less overprotective or psychologically controlling parenting, and more positive representations of sibling relationships in the present and in childhood (at cognitive, emotional, behavioural levels), and (b) a profile of less supportive family relationships with the opposite characteristics. According to the subsequent analyses of variance, participants with the more mature and higher moral engagement profile showed a higher tendency to manifest anonymous and emotional-dire prosocial behaviour and a lower tendency to exhibit public prosocial behaviour. Furthermore, participants with representations of more supportive family relationships showed a higher tendency towards altruistic behaviour and a lower tendency towards public prosocial behaviour. Finally, the tendency to manifest altruistic behaviour was higher in participants with a more mature and higher moral engagement profile, but lower in men compared to women with less dynamic conscience development. Discussion of the findings highlights the value of adopting a holistic, contextual perspective when examining the conscience background of prosocial behaviour.

Early adult developmental crisis episodes are emotionally volatile times of transition that occur during or shortly after the phase of emerging adulthood. Such episodes tend to revolve around a struggle with purpose and goals in relationships, career and finance, and an accompanying sense of uncertainty, confusion and transition. Although they amplify negative emotions, they also yield the opportunity for subsequent growth, development of personal strength, resilience and a more authentic sense of self. Prior research on this phenomenon has mainly focused on data gathered within a specific country. The current study gained prevalence data via a brief self-report assessment and we also conducted a qualitative analysis of brief written descriptions of early adult developmental crisis episodes in 18 to 29-year olds from eight countries: UK, Greece, Czechia, Turkey, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Brazil. In total, 2247 individuals participated (58.2% females). Crisis prevalence rates ranged from 40% to 77% per country. Thematic analysis of textual descriptions of crisis elicited external and internal crisis features. With regards to external features, the most prevalent were career transition, financial difficulties, studying-based stress and struggle, and family difficulties. With regards to internal features, the most prevalent were fear/anxiety/worry, negative self-evaluations, feeling sad/down, and feelings of confusion/uncertainty. The findings align with existing research on early adult crisis, pointing to both cross-cultural similarities and differences. We discuss the implications of our findings for the provision of support for young adults who may be going through crisis episodes.

Global self-esteem is a central construct in developmental psychology; it is related to various life domains and remains a key focus of research due to its meaningful implications. Despite the existing literature on this topic, there is limited research on its intergenerational dynamics, highlighting the need for further study. This ongoing study examines the intergenerational transmission of self-esteem, focusing on the relationship between mothers’ self-esteem and that of their offspring during emerging adulthood, a life stage marked by significant transitions. It further examines the possible mediating role of parenting, as reported by both mothers and offspring, in shaping this relationship. One hundred fifty dyads of mothers and their emerging adult offspring have reported their global self-esteem using the “Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale”, while maternal parenting —including warmth, rejection, overprotection, anxious rearing, and pedestal— was assessed through the “Parental Behavior Questionnaire”. Individual differences in self-esteem according to demographic factors, such as age, were also explored, within the Greek context, where relevant research remains limited. Data collection is still in progress. Based on prior research in adolescence (Mastellou & Tantaros, 2022), it is expected that offspring’s perceptions of parenting, rather than mothers’ reports, will mediate the transmission of self-esteem, although, in emerging adulthood, the direction of this relationship in the context of self-esteem transmission is under investigation in this study. By examining these dynamics, this research aims to contribute to understanding the intergenerational transmission of self-esteem and provide valuable insights for designing interventions to support emerging adults and their families.

Climate change significantly affects mental health in various ways from mild stress to clinical disorders. Climate anxiety is known as a fear due to the anticipated impacts of climate change. Research indicates that younger people are more prone to climate anxiety because of their vulnerability and concern about the future while emotional intelligence and optimism may also play a significant positive role in shaping a person’s response to climate change. This study aims to investigate the relationship between climate anxiety and emotional intelligence and how optimism influences this relationship. A total of 203 young adults completed an online set of questionnaires: the Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS-33), the Climate Change Anxiety Scale (CCAS-22) and the Personal Optimism and Self-Efficacy Optimism Scale (POSO-E). Preliminary analysis showed that while emotional intelligence predicts lower levels of climate anxiety, this relationship is mediated by optimism. Findings of our study are discussed in relation to the theoretical understanding of how climate anxiety is formed and the practical implications these results may carry.