Ready for What's Next? The Associations Between Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Skills and Career Adaptability in High School Students

Introduction: Transitioning from school to higher education or work is a pivotal moment in a student's life, requiring life-changing decisions. During this period, students who have acquired a wide range of Social, Emotional, and Behavioral (SEB) skills may feel more confident regarding their capacity to adapt positively to future challenges and difficulties. Our study aimed to test whether five SEB skills domains (self-management, innovation, social engagement, cooperation, and emotional resilience skills) were associated with four career adaptability resources (i.e., concern, control, curiosity, and confidence). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 350 Italian students (143 boys; Mage = 16.65) at the end of their last or penultimate year of high school (May–June 2024). We ran a multivariate regression analysis to examine specific associations between SEB skills domains and career adaptability resources. Furthermore, we tested a structural equation model including a latent factor of career-adaptability as the dependent variable, and SEB skills domains as predictors. Results: Our results showed that students who described themselves as more competent in self-management, innovation, and social engagement skills reported higher levels of career adaptability (considering both the latent factor and the specific resources). Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of feeling competent in different domains, not just academics, as the perception of having tools and skills could make students more confident in their ability to face future challenges and adapt to their future careers.