TCNJ Project: Emerging Adulthood Among College Students

Project Dates: August 2010 to present

Description: Measures life experiences among college students to understand how changes in interpersonal relationships, coping strategies, and beliefs about adulthood can affect psychological health during the transition to adulthood. Data are collected through face-to-face interviews with TCNJ students during their freshmen, sophomore, junior, and senior years.

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Trenton Project: Emerging Adulthood in Urban Communities: A Focus on Well-Being

Project Dates: May 2008 to present (data collection completed June 2010)

Description: Examines links between employment, community involvement (e.g., volunteer/service), and mental health among 130 African-American adults ages 18 to 25. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews at community locations throughout Trenton, NJ. Questions assessed young adults' opinions, beliefs, and behaviors and covered a range of topics including neighborhood conditions, school history, friendships, employment, community activities, and mental health.

Community partners include:

Isles YouthBuild. Founded in 1981 by a few students and faculty of Princeton University, Isles is an award-winning nonprofit community development and environmental organization. Its mission is to foster more self-reliant families in healthy, sustainable communities. http://isles.org/main/.

Mercer Street Friends. Mercer Street Friends is a Quaker-affiliated, nonsectarian human care organization providing compassionate and practical solutions to the problems of poverty and health. http://mercerstreetfriends.org/.

Anchorage Transitional Living Program. The program provides residential services to homeless youth ages 18-21 to ensure their successful transition to independence. http://www.anchorhousenj.org/ATL.htm.

Hawkins House. The program provides trans-permanent housing for homeless youth in central New Jersey. Participants have either met the HUD definition of homeless, aged out of the foster care or juvenile justice system or have come directly off the street. http://www.njaconline.org/33.html.

New Jersey Youth Corps. The organization is one of the largest youth service and conservation corps in the United States. Youth Corps is a year-round, voluntary program which engages young adults (ages 16-25) in full-time community service, training, and educational activities. http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/wfprep/edtrain/ged/Youth.html.

Trenton Free Public Library. The Library is one of the oldest libraries in New Jersey and is the second oldest FREE public library in the United States. http://www.trentonlib.org/.

If you are interested in getting involved as a research participant or student researcher, please see Get Involved.