Past work in China has revealed that approximately 60% of young people in China consider themselves to be adults. However, no work, prior to this study, has been done examining either the views of Chinese parents regarding their children's adult status or the criteria that Chinese parents use in determining whether or not their children have reached adulthood. Participants included 92 unmarried college students, ages 18 to 25, and at least one of their parents (83 fathers, 84 mothers). Results revealed that (a) the majority of children and their parents did not yet view their children as adults, and (b) there was disagreement between emerging adult children and their parents in the emphasis they placed on various criteria for adulthood. Discussion will focus on how the traditional Chinese notion of "face" may play an important role in the criteria young people and their parents endorse as necessary for adulthood.

Research conducted in Western cultures such as the United States has shown that shyness is a risk factor in development. Much less is known, however, about the role of shyness during emerging adulthood in China. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between shyness and internalizing (e.g., depressive symptoms, anxiety, and self-harm) and externalizing (e.g., drinking, smoking, and illicit drugs) behaviors in emerging adults in China. Participants included 616 undergraduate students (368 men and 248 women). Results revealed that shyness was positively associated with higher levels of internalizing problems.