Are there patterns of despair among Generation-X young adults?

Abstract

This dissertation examines patterns of despair that are marked by psychological distress, suicidal ideation, heavy drinking, and diagnosed depression during the transition to adulthood. Guided by social stress theory, the life course perspective, and intersectional theory, and using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (1994-2009), this study explores socioeconomic, racial, and gender differences in how risk factors and protective factors influence different types of despair among Generation X Americans. This includes a focus on social class, both as family background (e.g., parental education, economic hardship, and household income) and as personal attainment (e.g., college completion).There are three main findings. First, psychological distress emerges as the despair outcome most influenced by both family socioeconomic background and personal socioeconomic attainment. Drawing on the linked lives principle of the life course perspective, results highlight how Baby Boomer parents’ socioeconomic status continues to shape the mental health of their Gen X children, underscoring the intergenerational transmission of advantage and disadvantage. Second, racial patterns in despair vary by mental health outcome. Black respondents report consistently higher distress across life stages, while White respondents report higher levels of heavy drinking, suicidal ideation, and diagnosed depression. Third, coping resources in adolescence—such as self-esteem, school connectedness, and emotional support — protect against despair in young adulthood in ways that are patterned by race, gender, and mental health. In contrast, avoidance coping strategies seem to be unhealthy. These findings support the vulnerability component of social stress theory, suggesting that coping can buffer—but not necessarily eliminate—the mental health consequences of stress exposure. This dissertation argues that sociological research on mental health will benefit from intersectional life course approaches. Future scholarship should emphasize within-group analyses to better identify the social determinants of mental health for different racial groups. While some findings align with unexpected patterns documented in previous research, this work calls for abandoning the "Black-White mental health paradox" framework and urges more theoretically grounded and methodologically precise interpretations of racial differences in despair.