Career construction theory proposes that high career adaptability leads to positive adaptation outcomes during career transition. However, the specific pathways of how this happens remain underexplored. Drawing on the career construction model of adaptation, we hypothesized that career decision-making self-efficacy mediates the link of career adaptability with vocational identity clarity and life satisfaction as two measures of adaptation outcomes. We conducted a three-wave survey with an initial sample of 3126 Czech upper-secondary vocational graduates transitioning from vocational school to the labor market. Structural equation modeling revealed that career decision-making self-efficacy fully mediated the relationship between career adaptability before graduation and vocational identity clarity 20 months later. In contrast, the mediation effect of career decision-making self-efficacy on the relationship between career adaptability and life satisfaction was not supported. Additionally, in contrast to the previous literature, career adaptability was not directly related to vocational identity clarity and life satisfaction. Nevertheless, our findings demonstrated a positive long-term association of career adaptability with adaptation outcomes within the working life domain. Practical implications and future directions are discussed.

This study used a sample of 3,028 vocational upper secondary Czech students to validate the measurement model of the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale—Czech Form, assessing concern, control, curiosity, and confidence as the psychosocial resources for managing occupational transitions, developmental tasks, and work traumas. We moreover examined the associations of parental psychosocial support, parental instrumental support (action), teacher support, and peer support with the four components of career adaptability. As expected, social support provided by significant others was positively associated with career adaptability. Diverse sources of social support related differently to various career adaptability components. Career concern and confidence were associated simultaneously with parental psychosocial support, teacher support, and peer support while control was associated only with the parental and friend support and curiosity was associated with the social support from teachers and friends. Moreover, parental instrumental support did not show any significant link to career adaptability components.

This longitudinal study examined the relationship between Zimbardo time perspectives (TPs) and career decision-making self-efficacy (CDMSE). In total, 1,753 young adults participated in the longitudinal study. For the present study, we selected only participants who were students and provided information on TPs, CDMSE, and sociodemographic characteristics (n = 492, M = 22.97 years, SD = 1.32, 82.9% women). The results of multilevel modeling showed that future orientation and present-hedonistic TPs were positively related to CDMSE, whereas present-fatalistic and past-negative TPs were negatively related to CDMSE. These findings indicate that besides the beneficial effect of widely studied future TP, the negative role of past-negative and present-fatalistic TPs should be considered in connection with the career development of emerging adults.

The present study aimed to examine the long‐term associations between self‐esteem and career adaptability and to investigate the moderating roles of parental and peer support in these associations. The two‐wave longitudinal study used a sample of 3126 graduates from vocational upper secondary education during their career transition. Questionnaires were administered at two time points: 2 months before graduation (T1) and 10 months after graduation (T2). The results of linear regression and moderation analysis showed that (1) self‐esteem had a longitudinal positive effect on career adaptability, (2) perceived parental and peer support did not have significant effects on career adaptability, and (3) peer support served as a moderator in the relationship between self‐esteem and career adaptability. The findings emphasize the psychosocial nature of career adaptability and highlight the role of perceived peer support in the career adaptability of vocational education graduates during their career transition.

Life satisfaction, an important precursor of adolescents’ well-being, is linked to daily activities. Substantial changes have been noted in adolescents’ daily activities over the years, raising the question of possible consequences for life satisfaction. This study aimed to explore changes in adolescents’ life satisfaction and their time spent on daily activities (sleeping, engaging in sports, online gaming, school commuting, time spent at school) and further investigate the associations between adolescents’ life satisfaction and these daily activities. The sample comprised 2715 adolescents from birth cohorts surveyed at four time points between 1992 and 2019. Participants were administered the Daily Activities Inventory and the Berne Questionnaire on Adolescents’ Well-Being. Robust ANOVA with post hoc tests and spline regression were employed. We found cohort differences in sleep duration (8.6 h a day on average in 1992 and 7.5 in 2019). Sleep duration of 8 h and 1 h of sports activities had a beneficial effect on life satisfaction, while more than 1 h of online gaming had a negative impact. Neither school attendance nor commuting to school was associated with adolescents’ life satisfaction. The results of this study can inform public-health policies to promote sleeping and sports habits in adolescence.

This study aimed to examine personal goal setting and identity processes in Czech university students. A total of 1,347 Czech emerging adults completed the questionnaires on goal setting, identity commitment, and identity exploration in various life domains (romantic relationship, education, and work). First, our study showed that in our sample, goals related to education were the most prominent. Second, higher identity commitment or exploration in one domain predicted setting the goal in the same domain, supporting the notion of the interrelatedness of identity formation and goal pursuit. Additionally, those who set work-related goals reported fewer goals associated with romantic partnership, marriage, and family, suggesting individual differences in goal preferences. Our study adds to the knowledge of European emerging adults’ identity processes and goal selection processes. Furthermore, our findings stress the holistic approach when investigating personal goals.