Understanding Flourishing in Emerging Adulthood: A Sequential Mixed-Methods Study in Mumbai

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Anushka Dongre and P. Sharon Shulamite (Amity Institute of Behavioural and Allied Science, Amity University Mumbai, Maharashtra)

Emerging adulthood (ages 18-25) is a developmental period characterized by various challenges that stem from the exploration and instability of identity. This is especially relevant in the context of Mumbai’s high-stakes urban environment, in which flourishing psychologically is influenced by many systemic, cultural, and socioeconomic factors. This sequential explanatory mixed-methods study uses the Flourishing Scale (Diener et al., 2010) among emerging adults (N = 222), followed by in-depth interviews of individuals exhibiting low flourishing scores (≤32, N = 15). Quantitative analysis revealed no statistically significant associations between flourishing and age (r = −0.002, p > .05) or gender (t(220) = 0.245, p > .05). Socioeconomic status (SES) demonstrated a modest yet significant effect, F(2, 219) = 4.567, p < .05, η² = .040, with participants from lower-SES backgrounds (M = 36.00) reporting the low levels of flourishing. Reflexive thematic analysis of the interviews revealed eight distinct themes: (1) future anxiety and career uncertainty, (2) academic burnout, (3) financial dependence and guilt, (4) Mumbai’s competitive hustle culture, (5) gendered safety constraints, (6) collectivist-individualist tension, (7) social and emotional isolation, and (8) deficient support systems. Integrated findings indicate that shared structural and cultural pressures, rather than demographic characteristics, serve as the primary explanatory factors for the observed levels of flourishing. Findings offer valuable implications for university counselling centres, policymakers, and youth wellness initiatives in urban India. Participants called for holistic interventions including mentorship, financial literacy, safe community spaces, and culturally adapted positive psychology programmes.