Redefining adulthood : investigating rejuvenalia within the context of comic fandom : a quantitative study

Abstract

The standing literature on rejuvenalia generally addresses the possible psychological implications of the trend, which mainly revolve around issues of role confusion, and rejuvenalia's impact on self-efficacy. The primary objectives of this study were to (1) explore the concept of the rejuvenile movement here in Malta within the context of graphic narrative fandom, and (2) compare the perceived self-efficacy of rejuveniles and non-rejuveniles. The occurrence of rejuvenalia within a section of the Maltese population was measured employing the chi-square test, the independent samples t-test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. The General Self Efficacy Scale was then administered to address the issue of rejuvenalia as either being a negative defence mechanism, used to retreat from adult responsibilities, or a positive coping strategy which can mediate self-efficacy. Congruent with the main components of rejuvenalia, results indicated that young adults are more likely to engage in graphic narrative fandom, more likely to have positive attitudes towards adults who engage in hobbies/ behaviours that are typically associated with children, and generally did not feel stigmatized by society for doing so. Additionally, results of the analysis involving the General Self Efficacy Scale showed that those who claimed to be rejuveniles tended to have a significantly higher perceived self-efficacy than those who did not. Ultimately, this study established that the results support the case for the occurrence of rejuvenalia within Malta, and attributed rejuveniles higher perceived self efficacy mainly to the roles of catharsis and modelling.