The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted emerging adults’ daily routines due to social distancing, stay-at-home orders, and public and educational facilities’ closure. This article uses longitudinal panel data from Germany (N = 625) to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic affects emerging adults’ mental health and life satisfaction. Specifically, we investigate risk and protective factors for within-person changes in life satisfaction and mental health using change score models. Our analysis reveals three main findings. First, we find a significant decline in emerging adults’ life satisfaction and mental health compared to pre-pandemic levels. Second, results show heterogeneity in life satisfaction and mental health trajectories. Third, limited peer contacts, financial strain, and returning to the parental home act as risk factors for longitudinal changes. Social integration, having an intimate partner, and self-efficacy act as protective factors. We discuss the implications of our findings for the consequences of the pandemic for emerging adults.

由于保持社交距离、居家令以及公共和教育设施关闭，COVID-19 大流行扰乱了新兴成年人的日常生活。本文采用德国纵向面板数据（N= 625) 探索 COVID-19 大流行如何影响新兴成年人的心理健康和生活满意度。具体而言，我们使用变化评分模型调查了人内生活满意度和心理健康变化的风险和保护因素。我们的分析揭示了三个主要发现。首先，我们发现与大流行前水平相比，新兴成年人的生活满意度和心理健康显着下降。其次，结果显示生活满意度和心理健康轨迹的异质性。第三，有限的同龄人接触、经济压力和回到父母家是纵向变化的风险因素。社会融合、拥有亲密伙伴和自我效能是保护因素。我们讨论了我们的研究结果对大流行对新兴成年人的影响的影响。