Evolving Socioemotional Needs in Emerging Adulthood: A Twelve-Year Study of University Students’ Reflections

Understanding how socioemotional concerns evolve during emerging adulthood is central to research on young people’s psychological adaptation. This study examines temporal shifts in university students’ communication-related concerns across twelve consecutive cohorts (2014–2025) at a European university. Using a repeated cross-sectional mixed-method design, the study analyses nearly 800 student-generated questions from 543 first- and second-year students collected at the beginning of a communication psychology course. Inductive thematic coding, combined with χ2 tests and trend analyses, identified temporal patterns in thematic frequencies. Results show a significant increase in concerns related to emotion regulation, stress management, and conflict resolution, alongside a decline in abstract self-development and understanding others. These findings suggest a shift from exploratory, cognitively oriented priorities toward more pragmatic, emotionally grounded coping concerns among emerging adults. From a developmental perspective, early university adaptation increasingly centers on self-regulation and interpersonal boundary management. The study demonstrates how reflective data can serve as indicators of changing socioemotional needs, contributing to research on young people’s adaptation, wellbeing, and developmental processes during the transition to adulthood.