The contribution of community service during the transition to adulthood to health in adulthood

Abstract

Prior studies have linked young people's community service to indicators of health, yet little research takes the long view by connecting youth's community service to health in the next decade of life. Using a lifespan developmental lens, this study examined community service over the transition to adulthood and uses change over time in community service to predict indicators of behavioral, physical, and psychological health at ages 35 and 40. Data were taken from Monitoring the Future U.S. national multi-cohort data spanning ages 18-40 in high school cohorts from 1976 to 1995 for age 40 (N = 4300) and 1976 to 2000 for age 35 (N = 5879). Models estimated a growth curve model for community service from ages 18 to 30 and found that the slope for community service was associated with alcohol use, binge drinking, marijuana use, healthy behaviors, and life satisfaction at ages 35 and 40, with cigarette use at age 35 only, and with self-esteem and depressive symptoms at age 40 only. Less decline in community service over the transition to adulthood was associated with lower substance use, more healthy behaviors, and higher psychological well-being in adulthood. This study contributes evidence that community service and health are linked across the lifespan and suggests the value of examining the long-term implications of developmental change across adolescence and the transition to adulthood.

Keywords: civic engagement; health; longitudinal; substance use; volunteering.