Living in Limbo: Existential Concerns Among Greek Young Adults

Existential concerns are particularly salient during emerging adulthood—a period marked by identity exploration, uncertainty, and developmental transitions. This qualitative study explores the existential anxieties of Greek young adults within the unique sociocultural context of prolonged economic instability and shifting generational expectations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifteen participants aged 18–30, and thematic analysis was employed to identify key patterns. The findings reveal that concerns about meaning, death, identity, and isolation were central to participants’ experiences, and were often intensified by financial insecurity, intergenerational pressures, and sociopolitical stagnation. Participants employed a range of coping strategies, including introspection, therapy, and spiritual exploration; however, some also turned to maladaptive behaviors such as substance use and compulsive actions (e.g., trichotillomania) to manage distress. These results underscore the complex interplay between individual existential struggles and broader structural conditions. By situating existential anxiety within the lived experiences of Greek youth, this study offers novel insight into culturally situated meaning-making and contributes to the growing discourse on existential well-being in emerging adulthood.