A Predictive Exploration of What Uplifts or Undermines Young Adults’ Quality of Life

This study aimed to identify key risk and protective factors that predict the quality of life among young adults. A cross-sectional survey of 900 individuals aged 18–25 employed validated assessment tools and neural network analysis through SPSS-24 to determine the most influential predictors. The results highlighted that perfectionism (Importance=0.97; 23.5%) and excessive social media use (0.87; 21.0%) were the strongest risk factors negatively impacting quality of life, while social support (0.415; 48.7%), resilience (0.20; 48.7%), and effective coping strategies (0.127; 30.6%) emerged as the top protective factors. Overall, the findings underscore the significant roles these variables play in shaping young adults' well-being, with social support and resilience positively influencing, and perfectionism and social media use detracting from, quality of life.