Identifying the Factors Sustaining Existential Anxiety in Young Adults Lacking Life Purpose: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify the factors sustaining existential anxiety in young adults lacking life purpose using a qualitative approach. This qualitative study employed thematic analysis. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 21 young adults in Tehran who reported a lack of clear life purpose. Participants were selected via purposive sampling until theoretical saturation was reached, and the interviews were analyzed using Nvivo version 12 software. The results revealed three main categories: (1) Lack of meaning and purpose (identity confusion, hopelessness about the future, value and belief emptiness, lack of educational and occupational motivation, social comparison and sense of failure, absence of personal goal-setting, non-participation in meaningful activities), (2) Persistent experience of existential anxiety (concern about death and mortality, loneliness, conflict with societal expectations, indecisiveness, fear of worthlessness, sense of lack of control), and (3) Barriers to coping and management (lack of family support, poor coping skills, maladaptive thinking patterns, limited access to psychological resources, social media influence, stigma around mental health issues). Participant quotations reflected the depth of their lived experiences. Existential anxiety in purposeless young adults is a multifactorial and complex phenomenon, perpetuated by a combination of individual, social, and cultural factors. The findings underscore the need for psychological, educational, and support interventions aimed at enhancing purpose and meaning in young people’s lives.