Factors Influencing Career Decision Making in Adolescents and Adults

Abstract

The structure of the Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ) was validated and compared across two age cohorts using Structural Equation Modelling. One hundred and twenty-one upper high school students (78 females, 43 males—mean age 15.92 years) participated in Study 1, while 127 adults (86 females, 41 males—mean age 33.44 years) completed the survey for Study 2. The model confirmed the multidimensional structure of the CDDQ, although five first-order factors provided a better fitting model than the three higher-order factors postulated. The model fit both groups, suggesting that a common pattern of difficulties was experienced by people of different ages, although older career deciders reported fewer difficulties on all CDDQ subscales than did students.