High School Conceptual Level as an Indicator of Young Adult Adjustment

It was found that the conceptual level (CL) and intelligence scores of 90 twelfth-grade girls from Southern Ontario were related to 3-year follow-up data. Canonical correlation analysis revealed the presence of two variates underlying the relationship between CL and intelligence to follow-up measures. The first variate, defined primarily by intelligence, was related to student (rather than working) status and occupational aspiration. The second variate, defined primarily by CL, was related to aspects of life satisfaction, presence of anxiety, depression, and hostility, and number of reported problems. Further analysis indicated that higher intelligence in Grade 12, controlling for CL, was a unique predictor of follow-up student status and higher occupational aspiration. CL, controlling for intelligence, predicted greater life satisfaction, lower anxiety, depression, and hostility, and fewer problems. The hypothesis that CL scores collected during high school are related to indicators of adjustment in young adulthood was supported.