Vocational Identity Status in Chinese Emerging Adults with and without Hearing Impairment: Latent Profiles and Relationships with Self-Esteem and Subjective Well-Being

Wei Yuan, Tianxi Xu (), Meimei Liu and Biying Hu
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Wei Yuan: School of Education, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
Tianxi Xu: School of Education, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
Meimei Liu: School of Education, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
Biying Hu: Faculty of Education, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 21, 1-17

Abstract: This study aimed to (1) explore the configuration of vocational identity status among emerging adults with and without hearing impairment using latent profile analysis, and (2) investigate the relationships between vocational identity status and self-esteem and subjective well-being. In total, 408 students without disabilities and 432 with hearing impairments from two Chinese higher institutions participated in the study. The Vocational Identity Status Assessment, Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and Positive and Negative Affect were used to assess the major variables. The results derived five latent profiles (achieved, foreclosed, searching moratorium, undifferentiated, and diffused) of vocational identity in the present sample. The students were over-represented in undifferentiated profiles and under-represented in achieved and foreclosed ones. Hearing impairment significantly affected vocational identity status profile membership. The results showed that emerging adults with achievement and foreclosure statuses displayed healthy psychological outcomes, having the highest self-esteem, life satisfaction, and positive affect, and the lowest negative affect. In contrast, the diffused group showed the most disturbing pattern with the lowest self-esteem, life satisfaction, and positive affect, and the highest negative affect. The research findings reveal some notable issues in vocational identity status for emerging Chinese adults, raising concerns about the influence of hearing impairment on vocational identity formation, and provide implications for Chinese society to facilitate college students’ career development process to promote their vocational identity status and enhance their self-esteem and subjective well-being.

Keywords: vocational identity; emerging adults; hearing impairment; latent profile analysis; self-esteem; subjective well-being (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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