Mental Health in Colombian Emerging Adults: A Latent Profile Analysis of Emotion Regulation, Emotional Symptoms, and Psychological Well-Being

Emerging adulthood is a developmental stage marked by emotional vulnerability and a high prevalence of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. This study aimed to identify mental health profiles among Colombian emerging adults based on the dual-factor model of mental health. A total of 411 participants aged 18 to 29 years completed self-report measures assessing psychological well-being, self-esteem, optimism, emotion regulation, and emotional distress. Latent profile analysis revealed three distinct profiles: a healthy profile characterized by high psychological well-being, low emotional symptoms, and strong protective factors; a dysfunctional profile, characterized by low well-being and high emotional sympotms; and a vulnerable profile, showing moderate emotional symptoms and low well-being. These findings align with previous research and highlight the importance of mental health interventions tailored to the challenges of emerging adulthood. The high prevalence of vulnerable and dysfunctional profiles emphasizes the need for effective strategies that address both the prevention of emotional symptoms and the promotion of well-being.