The impact of quarter-life crisis on physical activity and well-being among university students in Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v77.118580Keywords:
Quarter-Life Crisis (QLC), Physical Activity, Well-being, University Students, IndonesiaAbstract
Introduction: The Quarter-Life Crisis (QLC) is a developmental phenomenon that affects university students, particularly in the context of emerging adulthood. In Indonesia, cultural norms and social expectations may influence how students experience QLC, impacting their mental health, physical activity, and well-being.
Objective: This study aims to examine the impact of Quarter-Life Crisis on physical activity and well-being among university students in Indonesia, considering the role of demographic factors such as gender, age, and marital status.
Methodology: A quantitative approach with a cross-sectional design was employed, using the Rasch Model to analyze data from 628 university students across 17 provinces in Indonesia. A questionnaire assessing QLC symptoms and levels of physical activity was distributed online. Data were analyzed using Winsteps 5.1.5 software.
Results: The study found that younger students and those married experienced higher levels of QLC, particularly anxiety and loss of motivation. Students who reported high QLC levels were less likely to engage in physical activities. No significant gender differences were observed in the levels of QLC.
Discussion: The findings suggest that age and marital status play a significant role in shaping students’ experiences of QLC, which may hinder their engagement in physical activities, ultimately affecting their overall well-being.
Conclusion: Universities should implement holistic interventions that integrate physical activity with mental health support to help students cope with QLC, enhancing their resilience, and improving their mental and physical health.
References
Agarwal, S., Guntuku, S. C., Robinson, O. C., Dunn, A., & Ungar, L. H. (2020). Examining the Phenomenon of Quarter-Life Crisis Through Artificial Intelligence and the Language of Twitter. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(March), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00341
Agusti, S., Ifdil, I., & Amalianita, B. (2022). Analysis of final student quarterlife crisis based on gender. Konselor, 11(2), 36–42. http://ejournal.unp.ac.id/index.php/konselor
Ali, P. A., McGarry, J., & Maqsood, A. (2022). Spousal role expectations and marital conflict: perspectives of men and women. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(9–10), NP7082–NP7108.
Antunes, G. D. A., Fank, F., Mazo, G. Z., & Antunes, G. (2025). Propósito de vida de idosos está associado a atividade física vigorosa Life purpose in older adults is associated with vigorous physical activity Autores Resumo Cómo citar na APA Palavras-chave Keywords Introdução Método. 2025, 23–32.
Arndt, A. D., Ford, J. B., Babin, B. J., & Luong, V. (2022). Collecting samples from online services: How to use screeners to improve data quality. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 39(1), 117–133.
Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55(5), 469–480. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.5.469
Avinç, E., & Doğan, F. (2024). Digital literacy scale: Validity and reliability study with the rasch model. Education and Information Technologies, 29(17), 22895–22941.
Balki, E., Hayes, N., & Holland, C. (2023). The indirect impact of educational attainment as a distal resource for older adults on loneliness, social isolation, psychological resilience, and technology use during the COVID-19 pandemic: cross-sectional quantitative study. JMIR Aging, 6, e47729.
Ballesteros, G. J. C., Leon, J. C. G. De, Domingo, C. D. M., Honrado, G. C., & Paneda, D. G. (2024). Quarter-Life Crisis: Its Prevalence Among Emerging Adults and the Role of Uncertainty, Dissatisfaction, and Indecisiveness as Predictors. Psych Educ, 20(3), 263–275. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11302240
Barbieri, V., Piccoliori, G., Engl, A., & Wiedermann, C. J. (2024). Parental mental health, gender, and lifestyle effects on post-pandemic child and adolescent psychosocial problems: a cross-sectional survey in Northern Italy. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(7), 933.
Bernardino, S., Saramago, N., Pereira, H., & Santos-rocha, R. (2025). Effects of interventions based on the transtheoretical model for increasing physical activity in elderly : systematic review Efectos de intervenciones basadas en el modelo transteórico para incrementar la actividad física en adultos mayores : revisión sistemática Authors Keywords Resumen How to cite in APA Palabras clave. 2025, 1997–2007.
Bond, T. G., & Fox, C. M. (2013). Applying the Rasch model: Fundamental measurement in the human sciences. Psychology Press.
Bond, T., Yan, Z., & Heene, M. (2015). Applying the Rasch model: Fundamental measurement in the human sciences. Routledge.
Darabos, K., Tucker, C. A., Brumley, L., King-Dowling, S., Butler, E., Stevens, E., O’Hagan, B., Henry-Moss, D., Deatrick, J. A., Szalda, D., Barakat, L. P., & Schwartz, L. A. (2023). Development and validation of a measure of adolescent and young adult goal-based quality of life (MAYA-GQOL). In Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation (Vol. 32, Issue 8, pp. 2305–2317). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-023-03392-3
David, C., & Román, P. (2025). Nivel de actividad física , riesgo de sobrepeso y adiposidad corporal en estudiantes de secundaria Physical activity level , risk of overweight and body adiposity in secondary school students Autores Resumen Palabras clave Cómo citar en APA Keywords Introducción. 2025, 977–990.
Elhaik, E. (2022). Principal Component Analyses (PCA)-based findings in population genetic studies are highly biased and must be reevaluated. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 14683.
Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity youth and crisis (Issue 7). WW Norton & company.
Erikson, E. H. (1994). Identity and the life cycle. WW Norton & company.
Fauzi, I., Resmadewi, R., & Rosyiana, I. (2024). The Relationship between Identity Exploration and Career Maturity with Quarter-Life Crisis among Final-Year Students at Muhammadiyah University ofSurabaya. International Symposium on Global Education, Psychology and Cultural Synergy.
Fielden, K. (2020). Using online methods and social media for data collection and recruitment.
Flores-paredes, A. (2026). Actividad física , prevalencia de sobrepeso y obesidad en adolescentes de zonas urbanas y rurales de Puno , Perú Autores Resumen Cómo citar en APA Palabras clave Keywords Introducción. 2026, 706–716.
Flynn, S. (2022). Critical disability studies and quarter life crisis: Theorising life stage transitional crisis for disabled emerging adults. Disability & Society, 37(2), 183–205.
Goedereis, E. A., Mehta, C. M., Jones, J., & Ayotte, B. J. (2023). “I want to focus on something that I feel really good about every day”: Career development in established adulthood. Acta Psychologica, 234(February), 103863. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.103863
Gui, T. (2023). Coping with parental pressure to get married: Perspectives from Chinese “leftover women.” Journal of Family Issues, 44(8), 2118–2137.
Hall, C. S., Lindzey, G., & Campbell, J. B. (2002). Theories of Personality (Fourth Edi). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Harsono, I., Sutanto, H., Zuhroh, S., Arisanti, I., & Erliana, Y. D. (2024). The Influence of Socio-Economic Factors on Marriage Patterns in Indonesia: A Quantitative Analysis of the Relationship between Social Status and Marriage Decisions. Sciences Du Nord Humanities and Social Sciences, 1(01), 33–39.
Hasyim, F. F., Setyowibowo, H., & Purba, F. D. (2024). Factors Contributing to Quarter Life Crisis on Early Adulthood: A Systematic Literature Review. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 17(December 2023), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S438866
Hermawan, H. A. (2025). The effect of comprehensive school physical activity program ( CSPAP ) on students ’ physical literacy El efecto del programa integral de actividad física escolar ( CSPAP ) en la alfabetización física de los alumnos Authors How to cite in APA Keywords Resumen Palabras clave. 2025, 95–105.
Himawan, K. K., Underwood, M., Bambling, M., & Edirippulige, S. (2022). Being single when marriage is the norm: Internet use and the well-being of never-married adults in Indonesia. Current Psychology, 41(12), 8850–8861.
Horta, H., & Tang, L. (2023). Male and female academics’ gendered perceptions of academic work and career progression in China. Higher Education Quarterly, 77(3), 515–536.
Khan, M. M. (2024). Optimizing web surveys in research: methodological considerations and validity aspects. International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation, 11(4), 75–105.
Kilani, H. A., & Kilani, H. A. (2026). Physical activity patterns in Jordanian and Hungarian women : a comparative study of physical activity domains & levels Authors How to cite in APA Keywords Resumen Palabras clave. 2026, 346–358.
Kulik, A., & Dacka, M. (2024). Adaptacja i walidacja kwestionariusza do pomiaru kryzysu ćwierci życia – The Developmental Crisis Questionnaire ( DCQ-12 ) Adaptation and validation of a quarter-of-life crisis. Psychiatria Polska, 2674(346), 1–14. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.12740/PP/OnlineFirst/186921
Linacre, J. M. (2002). What do infit and outfit, mean-square and standardized mean? Rasch Measurement Transactions, 16(2).
Linacre, J. M. (2010). Predicting responses from Rasch measures. Journal of Applied Measurement, 11(1), 1.
LinkedIn Corporate Communications. (2017). New LinkedIn research shows 75 percent of 25-33 year olds have experienced quarter-life crises. https://news.linkedin.com/2017/11/new-linkedin-research-shows-75-percent-of-25-33-year-olds-have-e
Maier, C., Thatcher, J. B., Grover, V., & Dwivedi, Y. K. (2023). Cross-sectional research: A critical perspective, use cases, and recommendations for IS research. In International Journal of Information Management (Vol. 70, p. 102625). Elsevier.
Meadows, J., Montano, M., Alfar, A. J. K., Başkan, Ö. Y., De Brún, C., Hill, J., McClatchey, R., Kallfa, N., & Fernandes, G. S. (2024). The impact of the cost-of-living crisis on population health in the UK: rapid evidence review. BMC Public Health, 24(1), 561.
Mirza, Ibrahim, M. B., & Riady, M. A. (2024). Description And Differences In Quarter Life Crisis In Terms Of Gender In The Age Range Of Emerging Adulthood In Banda Aceh. Proceedings of IMICOPSY 2024 UNIMAL, 1(1), 113–124.
Nasya, V. A., & Amelasasih, P. (2025). The Influence of Mental Health on Quarter Life Crisis in the Emerging Adulthood Phase. World Psychology, 4(2), 174–183. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.55849/wp.v4i2.972
Pandey, T. D., & Pathak, J. (2024). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental and physical health of Indian working women: A cross-sectional study of District Rajkot, Gujarat. G Ital Psicol Med Lav, 4(2), 140–153.
Permana, F. B., & Sulastri, A. (2025). Quarter Life Crisis Pada Masa Emerging Adulthood. Psikostudia : Jurnal Psikologi, 14(2), 187. https://doi.org/10.30872/psikostudia.v14i2.18697
Petrov, N., Robinson, O. C., & Arnett, J. J. (2022). The developmental crisis questionnaire (dcq-12): psychometric development and validation. Journal of Adult Development, 29(4), 265–278.
Pramudya, D. A., Hayuningrat, F. A.-Z., Esrarf, K. S., Naia, N. A., Rahmayanti, S., & Nazilah, Y. (2023). Utilization of Social Media As a Quarter Life Crisis Education Media. Inovasi Lokal, 1(2), 42–47. https://doi.org/10.62255/noval.v1i2.24
Putri, A. L. K., Lestari, S., & Khisbiyah, Y. (2022). A quarter-life crisis in early adulthood in Indonesia during the Covid-19 pandemic. Indigenous: Jurnal Ilmiah Psikologi, 7(1), 28–47. https://doi.org/10.23917/indigenous.v7i1.15543
Reifman, A., & Niehuis, S. (2023). Extending the five psychological features of emerging adulthood into established adulthood. Journal of Adult Development, 30(1), 6–20.
Robbins, A., & Wilner, A. (2001). Quarterlife crisis : The unique challenges of life in your twenties. In Penguin Putnam. New York: Penguin Putnam. Penguin Putnam.
Robershaw, K. L., Xiao, M., Wallett, E., & Wolf, B. G. (2025). Research analytics capabilities (RAC) survey: development, validation and revision using the Rasch model. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 17(5), 1469–1488.
Robinson, O. C. (2019). A Longitudinal Mixed-Methods Case Study of Quarter-Life Crisis During the Post-university Transition: Locked-Out and Locked-In Forms in Combination. Emerging Adulthood, 7(3), 167–179. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696818764144
Rus, I. (2025). Desempleo y actividad física en los mayores de 45 años : una revisión sistemática con meta-agregación categórica Autores Resumen Cómo citar en APA Palabras clave Keywords Introducción Desempleo y motivación hacia la búsqueda de empleo. 2025, 288–301.
Sahrah, A., Dwidiyanti, A., & Moordiningsih, M. (2023). Improvement of spiritual well-being in students experiencing quarter life crisis through solution-focus brief therapy. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 12(4), 305–312.
Sari, S. W. K., & Purwandari, E. (2025). Quarter-life Crisis: Spiritual Well-being as a Mediator in the Relationship Between Emotion Regulation, Social Support, Religious Activities, and Quality of Life. The Open Psychology Journal, 18(1).
Sembring, M., Andita Anastasya, Y., Julistia, R., & Safitri, Y. N. (2024). Gambaran Quarter Life Crisis Pada Sarjana Fresh Graduate. INSIGHT: Jurnal Penelitian Psikologi, 2(2), 275–288. https://ojs.unimal.ac.id/index.php/jpt/index
Shulman, S., Yonatan-Leus, R., & Silberberg, O. (2023). Understanding stability and change in depressive symptom trajectories across young adulthood through the lens of career development: A mixed-methods study. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 47(2), 169–179.
Sumintono, B., & Widhiarso, W. (2014). Aplikasi model Rasch untuk penelitian ilmu-ilmu sosial (edisi revisi) (Revisi). Trim Komunikata Publishing House.
Tahira, S. S. (2023). Problems and Challenges Faced by Married Students to Continue their Study at University Level. Annals of Human and Social Sciences, 4(IV). https://doi.org/10.35484/ahss.2023(4-iv)39
Thakur, T. (2025). Rasch measurement theory: A complete course. Educohack Press.
Uddin, M., & Hoque, N. (2025). Balancing the Scales: Work, Life and Study Challenges for Female Executives in Emerging Contexts. International Social Science Journal.
Varela-garrote, L., & Carretero-garcía, M. (2025). Actividad física durante la jornada escolar : un estudio exploratorio con alumnado de 2-3 años Autores Resumen Cómo citar en APA Palabras clave Keywords Introducción. 2025, 1066–1078.
Villarino, R. T. (2025). Validation Gaps in Psychological and Social Science Instruments: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2020–2025).
Wahyudin, H., Budiman, N., Chusniyah, T., & Oktasari, M. (2025). Mental health as a prognostic biomarker in aSAH: Toward inclusive screening through digital tools. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, 141.
Wahyudin, H., Hikmy, B. J., Oktasari, M., Yulia, C., & Stevani, H. (2025). Rethinking hormone-stress models: Digital health as a paradigm shift in psychoneuroendocrinology. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 182, 107651.
Wahyudin, H., Ramli, M., Chusniyah, T., Eva, N., Oktasari, M., Mufaridah, H., Andriani, M. W., Stevani, H., Soejanto, L. T., Hikmy, B. J., Malang, N., Jakarta, U. N., & Wahyudin, H. (2026). The role of self-control in enhancing academic resilience and sports performance in Indonesian vocational students Authors Resumen How to cite in APA Palabras clave Keywords. 2026, 916–929.
Wu, R. M. X., Zhang, Z., Yan, W., Fan, J., Gou, J., Liu, B., Gide, E., Soar, J., Shen, B., & Fazal-e-Hasan, S. (2022). A comparative analysis of the principal component analysis and entropy weight methods to establish the indexing measurement. PloS One, 17(1), e0262261.
Yulianto, J. E., Hodgetts, D., King, P., & Liu, J. H. (2022). Navigating tensions in inter-ethnic marriages in Indonesia: Cultural, relational, spatial and material considerations. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 86, 227–239.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Masril Masril, Rafsel Tas'adi, Afnibar Afnibar, Hadiarni Hadiarni, Cici Yulia
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and ensure the magazine the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and the initial publication in this magazine.
- Authors can establish separate additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (eg, to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Is allowed and authors are encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (eg, in institutional repositories or on their own website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as to a subpoena more Early and more of published work (See The Effect of Open Access) (in English).
This journal provides immediate open access to its content (BOAI, http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess) on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The authors may download the papers from the journal website, or will be provided with the PDF version of the article via e-mail.
