Beyond “Disconnected Youth”: Characterizing Developmental Heterogeneity in School or Work Connections During Emerging Adulthood

Prior research on disconnected youth has defined connectedness to school or work during emerging adulthood as an either/or outcome, conflicting with research on emerging adulthood, which suggests varied, individualized pathways. This study used a growth mixture model method with data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics Transition into Adulthood Supplement to elucidate developmental heterogeneity in connectedness to school or work during emerging adulthood (n = 1,977). Results indicated distinct subgroups of connectedness to school or work with additional variation within groups. Racialized group and parenting status differentiated between being fully connected or not but did not explain differences among those with less consistent connectedness. Policy implications include that the timing and duration of policies targeting disconnected youth may be missing a substantial minority of young people. Re-thinking supports for disconnected youth can be further informed by future research focused on examining factors related to individual differences in the timing and nature of connectedness to school or work.