Objective and subjective markers of transition to adulthood in emerging adults: Their mediating role in explaining the link between parental trust and life satisfaction

The purpose of this study was to investigate the direct and indirect (via objective and subjective markers of adulthood) relations of parental trust and emerging adults’ life satisfaction in samples of Lithuanian (N = 399, ages 18–25) and Japanese (N = 585, ages 18–25) emerging adults. Results revealed that parental trust was associated with emerging adults’ life satisfaction both directly and indirectly via subjective markers of adulthood (i.e., self-perception of oneself as an adult) but not via objective markers of adulthood. Importantly, these associations were largely similar in both countries with a slight variation. These findings underscore the complex and important relations between parental trust and life satisfaction during emerging adulthood.