People living alone are often depicted as prone to social isolation and poor well-being. Since previous research largely focused on comparisons between the living arrangements of older adults, evidence on differences within middle-aged adults living alone remains sparse. The present study used a person-centered approach to allow for a…

This study examined the longitudinal relationships among self-concept clarity (SCC), hope, and subjective well-being (i.e., emotional well-being and cognitive well-being). Specifically, we tested both the between-person and within-person associations of SCC with subjective well-being among 2,001 Chinese adolescents (age range 11-24 years, 42.9%…

Climate change is a complex, multisystem phenomenon that disrupts human development both directly and indirectly through the interactions of interconnected systems. This article outlines the physical, social, and psychological impacts of exposure to climate disasters, which are already increasing in frequency and ferocity across the globe. Climate…

Previous studies have linked higher generativity with better mental well-being. However, most of these studies investigated the predictive role of generativity in well-being, while the converse relation, that is, how mental well-being contributes to generativity, has been ignored. This study first investigated the structure and stability of…

This study investigates adolescents' climate change distress and climate denialism profiles with two cohorts (born in 2008 and 2006) using longitudinal data from two waves collected in 2020 and 2021 (N = 3,002). In addition, the explanatory similarity of the subgroups regarding general well-being and pro-environmental behavior was studied. Four…

Knowing about emotions is vital for children's school adjustment, well-being, and future social relationships. Whereas experiencing emotions is a universal psychological process at the biological level, how emotions are categorized and communicated is shaped by culture. Most studies have investigated cultural differences in emotion (knowledge) in…

Theorized mechanisms linking views on aging, self-regulation, and well-being have not previously been examined longitudinally. This study considers goal re-engagement as a potential mediator of longitudinal relationships between awareness of age-related change (AARC) and vitality. We expected that more positive perceptions of aging (i.e., higher…

People reflect on their own aging, and this subjective awareness has an influence on developmental outcomes. Scholars have recently operationalized subjective aging in terms of awareness of age-related change (AARC), which captures awareness of both gains and losses. We examined associations of AARC-gains and AARC-losses with physical functioning,…

Recent evidence suggests that older adults experience momentary states of spending time alone (i.e., solitude) less negatively than younger adults. The current research explores the role of autonomy as an explanation mechanism of these age differences. Previous research demonstrated that solitude can be experienced positively when it is…

Experiences of contact between adopted persons and birth family members have implications for psychological adjustment of adopted persons. The current study utilizes four contact trajectory groups, spanning from middle childhood to young adulthood and encompassing three aspects of birth family contact in predicting psychological adjustment and…

Prior evidence suggests that subjective well-being (SWB) remains relatively stable across adulthood. However, longitudinal evidence is sparse except in Western societies such as North America and Western Europe. We examined age-related changes in SWB (life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect) among middle-aged and older Japanese. We…

Economic inequality has been consistently rising in recent decades in many Western countries including Germany. This is a pressing issue as greater economic inequality within a society has detrimental consequences for well-being, social stability, productivity, and even life expectancy. However, little is known about how individuals of different…

While loneliness for short periods of time is normal, prolonged loneliness has severe health risks. This study aims to discover what loneliness trajectories can be found in a cohort of adolescents, how belongingness to different groups may be associated with these trajectories, and the mental, physical, and academic consequences of these…

Trajectories of perceived stress from the transition to adulthood (age 25), during young adulthood (age 32), and into midlife (ages 43 and 50) were examined with four waves of longitudinal survey data (N = 688; 49% female, 37% with a university degree, 86% White). We explored how between- and within-person variation in perceived stress was…

Lack of social interaction is associated with a heightened sense of loneliness and, in turn, poorer psychological well-being. Despite the prevalence of communicating with others virtually even when physically alone, whether the social interaction--loneliness--well-being relationship is different between face-to-face and virtual interactions and…