Employing a cohort-sequential design spanning 30 years to understand trajectories of maturity fears

Dev Psychol. 2026 Jun 25. doi: 10.1037/dev0002219. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Societal and cultural shifts can influence psychological well-being and development in adulthood. Maturity fears, an individual’s desire to retreat to the security of childhood, have been found to be increasing in younger generations. The present study explored how maturity fears change over adult development in three cohorts of university students assessed in 1982, 1992, and 2002 and followed over time. The study employed a sequential design in which university students (N = 2,482, 69.8% female) completed self-report surveys in college and at 10-year and 20-year follow-up. At baseline, female in the 2002 cohort showed the highest maturity fears, followed by 1992 and then 1982, with all cohorts having decreases in maturity fears over time. There was a significant Cohort × Time interaction, such that compared to the 1982 cohort, both the 1992 and 2002 cohorts demonstrated significantly greater declines in maturity fears over time. Males in the 1992 and 2002 cohorts showed greater maturity fears than those in the 1982 cohort. As with the females, for males there was a significant Cohort × Time interaction. Compared to the 1982 cohort, both the 1992 and 2002 cohorts demonstrated significantly greater declines in maturity fears over time. Overall, the pattern of findings indicates higher levels of maturity fears during college in more recent cohorts, a decrease in maturity fears during adult development, and greater declines in more recent generations. Additional research is needed to not only replicate these findings but also explore potential mechanisms underlying cohort differences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

PMID:42347790 | DOI:10.1037/dev0002219