The following is excerpted from an online article posted by HealthDay
Millennial college students (born between 1981 and 1996) feared adulthood more than earlier generations, wishing they could return to the security and happiness of childhood, according to the study.
However, they wound up embracing adulthood as they aged, with growing up becoming less scary over time, researchers found.
College students surveyed in 2002 had significantly higher levels of anxiety regarding adulthood than those surveyed in 1982 or 1992, researchers reported recently in the journal Developmental Psychology.
But when surveyed 20 years later, their worries about adulthood had declined to levels similar to those held by their older counterparts, Gen X’ers or Baby Boomers, researchers said.
“Our findings suggest that fears about growing older are not necessarily fixed; they appear to decrease for many people as they gain experience navigating adult roles and responsibilities,” lead researcher April Smith, a professor of psychology at Auburn University in Alabama, said in a news release.