The Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood began in 2003 and launched the journal Emerging Adulthood in 2013. As our discipline has grown in leaps and bounds, we are delighted to launch this new chapter to expand the opportunities to bring together scholars and practitioners more seamlessly with this new journal through APA known as Applied Studies in Emerging Adulthood (ASEA). APA has announced this partnership on their website: https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/sea/partnership-announcement. Our webpage is now live. To learn more about the journal’s aim and scope: https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/sea,
We are delighted to name Dr. Luzelle Naude (SSEA Governing Council Member, Professor of Psychology, University of the Free State, South Africa) as the chair of the Applied Studies in Emerging Adulthood Editor Search Committee. Other search members are still being finalized. When the full committee is constituted, we will update SSEA members as to the full search committee membership. Please see the information below for the call for editor nominations that concludes with a nomination deadline of January 30, 2026.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Barry
SSEA President
Applied Studies for Emerging Adulthood – Call for Editor Nominations
The Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood (SSEA) has opened nominations for the editorship of Applied Studies in Emerging Adulthood, new journal to be launched in 2026.
Applied Studies in Emerging Adulthood will emphasize the application of research findings to enhance the lives of emerging adults (ages 18 to 29). The journal aims to bridge the gap
between academic research and practical application, serving as a valuable resource for scholars and practitioners. The journal seeks to offer stakeholders—such as psychology and counseling
practitioners, educators, social workers, and policy-makers—useful, evidence-based information that can be readily applied in their work with this age group.
The journal actively invites submissions that translate theoretical insights on emerging adulthood into practical strategies and real-world applications. The journal welcomes the following types of manuscripts:
Applied Theoretical Development: Contributions that propose ways to advance and expand knowledge in diverse disciplines by applying the developmental perspective of the theory of emerging adulthood in real-world scenarios.
Conceptual Reviews: Review articles should focus on synthesizing existing research and outlining research directions with practical implications.
Case Reports: Case studies can highlight the unique challenges faced by emerging adults in mental health treatment, substance use treatment, romantic relations, family relations, education, and the workplace. These reports should offer actionable insights and solutions based on evidence and theoretical frameworks from the emerging adulthood literature.
Prevention and intervention programs: Submissions may highlight new developments in prevention and intervention approaches within the field along with detailed evaluations of specific programs designed to meet the needs of emerging adults.
International Collaborations: As emerging adulthood (EA) is by now well-established as an international field, the new journal will encourage comparative and collaborative studies across
diverse cultural contexts to understand how applications of emerging adulthood theory and research may vary globally. Articles that involve collaboration between researchers from different regions will provide diverse perspectives on EA processes.
The search is chaired by Luzelle Naude, PhD.
Participation by members of underrepresented groups in the publication process is encouraged and will be welcomed. Self-nominations are also encouraged. Interested candidates should
submit their application at http://editorsearch.apa.org. Please include a CV, a description of the candidate’s publishing/editorial experience, and a statement of the candidate’s vision for the journal.
Questions may be directed to the APA Associate Publisher, Rashika Venkataraman, RVenkataraman@apa.org.
The deadline for accepting nominations is Monday, January 30, 2026, after which phase one vetting will begin.
