Young adults are at a significant and pivotal time of life. They may seek higher education, launch their work lives, develop personal relationships and healthy habits, and pursue other endeavors that help set them on healthy and productive pathways. However, the transition to adulthood also can be a time of increased vulnerability and risk. Young adults may be unemployed and homeless, lack access to health care, suffer from mental health issues or other chronic health conditions, or engage in binge drinking, illicit drug use, or driving under the influence. Young adults are moving out of the services and systems that supported them as children and adolescents, but adult services and systems--for example, the adult health care system, the labor market, and the justice system--may not be well suited to supporting their needs.

Improving the Health, Safety, and Well-Being of Young Adults is the summary of a workshop hosted by the Board on Children, Youth, and Families of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the National Research Council (NRC) in May, 2013. More than 250 researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and young adults presented and discussed research on the development, health, safety, and well-being of young adults. This report focuses on the developmental characteristics and attributes of this age group and its placement in the life course; how well young adults function across relevant sectors, including, for example, health and mental health, education, labor, justice, military, and foster care; and how the various sectors that intersect with young adults influence their health and well-being. Improving the Health, Safety, and Well-Being of Young Adults provides an overview of existing research and identifies research gaps and issues that deserve more intensive study. It also is meant to start a conversation aimed at a larger IOM/NRC effort to guide research, practices, and policies affecting young adults.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• PLANNING COMMITTEE ON IMPROVING THE HEALTH, SAFETY, AND WELL-BEING OF YOUNG ADULTS
• Reviewers
• I. Introduction, Development, and Context
  • 1. Introduction
    • MOTIVATIONS FOR THE WORKSHOP
    • OVERVIEW OF A CHANGING LANDSCAPE AND PROFILE OF YOUNG ADULTS
    • ORGANIZATION OF THE WORKSHOP SUMMARY
  • 2. Neurobiological, Psychological, and Social Development
    • NEUROBIOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT
    • PSYCHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT
    • SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
  • 3. The Economic, Cultural, and Social Landscape
    • THE ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE
    • CULTURE, ETHNICITY, AND RACE
    • THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA
• II. Health and Safety of Young Adults
  • 4. Safety- and Health-Related Behaviors
    • VIOLENCE AND VICTIMIZATION
    • UNINTENDED PREGNANCY, HIV INFECTION, AND OTHER SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS
    • SUBSTANCE USE
  • 5. Physical Health
  • 6. Mental Health
    • MENTAL HEALTH IN YOUNG ADULTS
    • EPIDEMIOLOGY OF MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS IN YOUNG ADULTHOOD
    • SCHIZOPHRENIA AND OTHER PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS
• III. The Systems and Institutions That Affect Young Adults
  • 7. Families, Social Networks, and the Media
    • PARENTING
    • SOCIAL NETWORKS AND SOCIAL MEDIA
    • MARKETING AND MEDIA
  • 8. Health Care
    • HEALTH SERVICES
    • IMPACT OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
    • YOUNG ADULTS FACING PARTICULAR ISSUES
    • EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS AND PROGRAMS TARGETING YOUNG ADULTS
  • 9. Education and Employment
    • SCHOOLING AND HEALTH
    • HEALTH AND SAFETY OF YOUNG ADULTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION SETTINGS
  • 10. The Military
    • MILITARY SERVICE AMONG YOUNG ADULTS
    • PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF THE LONG WAR
  • 11. Foster Care, Welfare Services, and Services for Homeless Young Adults
    • SERVICES FOR HOMELESS YOUNG ADULTS
    • YOUNG ADULTS WHO HAVE BEEN IN THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM
    • WELFARE SERVICES
  • 12. The Justice System
    • TRAJECTORIES THROUGH THE JUVENILE AND ADULT JUSTICE SYSTEMS
    • HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM
• IV. Themes and Future Research
  • 13. Themes of the Workshop
    • DIVERSITY OF YOUNG ADULTS' LIVES IN A CHANGING WORLD
    • CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT OF YOUNG ADULTS
    • OPPORTUNITIES FOR AND RISKS TO THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF YOUNG ADULTS
    • ENHANCING YOUNG ADULTS' HEALTH, SAFETY, AND WELL-BEING THROUGH SYSTEMS AND INSTITUTIONS
  • 14. Future Research and Other Opportunities
    • UNDERSTANDING THE VARIED EXPERIENCES AND TRAJECTORIES OF YOUNG ADULTS
    • RESILIENCE, PROTECTIVE FACTORS, AND WELL-BEING
    • MENTAL HEALTH CARE, MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTIONS, AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE
    • HEALTH CARE
    • FAMILIES, PARENTS, AND RELATIONSHIPS
    • COMMUNICATIONS, MEDIA, AND DECISION MAKING
    • YOUNG ADULTS' HEALTH, SAFETY, AND WELL-BEING WITHIN SYSTEMS AND ORGANIZATIONS
    • RESEARCH METHODS AND APPROACHES
• Appendixes
  • A References
  • B Agenda
  • C Registered Workshop Attendees
  • D Background Paper: Pathways to Young Adulthood and Preventive Interventions Targeting Young Adults
  • E Background Paper: Parenting During the Transitions to Adulthood

Rapporteurs: Clare Stroud, Tara Mainero, and Steve Olson.

This activity was supported by Contract HHSH25034014T between the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The views presented in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the activity.

Suggested citation:

IOM (Institute of Medicine) and NRC (National Research Council). 2013. Improving the health, safety, and well-being of young adults: Workshop summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

NOTICE: The workshop that is the subject of this workshop summary was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.