Psychosocial maturity: Considering the cultural context

This study was a preliminary examination of differences in psychosocial maturity according to cultural context. Using a cross-sectional design, measures for responsibility, perspective and temperance, were utilized to compare whether psychosocial maturity would differ between two different western cultures. Older adolescents aged between 17 and 22 years were compared on factors of psychosocial maturity, participants were 49 Australian university students and 269 US college students. Findings showed that older US adolescents had significantly higher psychosocial maturity levels overall, and significantly higher levels of responsibility and perspective compared to older Australian adolescents. No differences were seen for temperance, which yielded similar levels for both older Australian and US adolescents. Results suggest that differences in cultural norms and opportunities experienced by the older adolescents, may result in aspects of psychosocial maturity developing differently when compared to other western cultures. This study underscores the influence of the cultural context on psychosocial maturity, emphasising that, within the cultural context are nuances that warrant a second wave of longitudinal research