title: Are There Similar or Divergent Transitions to Adulthood in a Mediterranean Context? A Cross-National Comparison of Italy and Spain.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the differences and similarities between Italy and Spain in regard to emerging adults' perceptions of identity status, autonomy, attachment, and life satisfaction. The goal was to verify whether a Mediterranean model of transitions from adolescence to adulthood exists. Three hundred and forty undergraduate students (171 Italians and 169 Spanish) ranging in age from 19 to 22 completed measures of identity status, emotional autonomy, attachment style, and life satisfaction. Multiple correspondence analyses provided a graphic synthesis of results. The results indicate that no common model of young adult development exists in Spain and Italy and that Italian youth have a more complex quality of development compared to their Spanish peers.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, Kore University of Enna, Enna, Italy.
authors.forename: Ugo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Pace
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Sciences, Lumsa University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cacioppo
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, Business and Finance, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lo Cascio
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, Kore University of Enna, Enna, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Guzzo
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, Kore University of Enna, Enna, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Passanisi
keywords: Mediterranean model; cross-cultural; identity status and attachment styles; multiple correspondence analysis; transition to adulthood