Beyond School and Employment: Unpacking Disconnection in Emerging Adulthood

Despite growing attention to youth disconnection, most research has relied on narrow indicators such as school enrollment or employment. Yet, disconnection emerges from distinct combinations of psychological, social, and institutional challenges that shape young people’s psychosocial adjustment. Using data from 2,157 U.S. emerging adults (51% female; age range 21–25) from Wave 7 of the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, this study applies latent class analysis, with multiple imputation and full-information maximum likelihood, to identify distinct subgroups of disconnection across psychological, social, and institutional domains. Five classes emerged: (1) Institutionally disconnected with stronger family connection, (2) Institutionally disconnected with lower family connection, (3) Psychologically disconnected, (4) School connected, and (5) Employment connected. Findings demonstrate the heterogeneous nature of disconnection in emerging adulthood and highlight the limitations of relying solely on institutional indicators. Recognizing this heterogeneity can guide approaches that better reflect the diverse realities of disconnection among emerging adults.