Transitioning to adulthood: A glance at the education system

Abstract Understanding the transition from adolescence to adulthood is becoming increasingly important for service providers in various sectors including education. Educational attainment is seen as an important predictor of future success for emerging adults. Yet, there are significant barriers to educational attainment especially for young people with mental health and/or substance use problems. The purpose of this rapid review was to synthesize the current state of knowledge about transitions to adulthood for young people with mental health and/or substance use problems who are engaged or disengaged with the education system. A systematic search of six databases was conducted with a total of 92 articles from 2000 to 2018 included in the final review. The results of this review identify factors influencing education outcomes, barriers to successful educational attainment, as well as policy and practice recommendations to better serve young people transitioning to adulthood. Overall, the literature included in this review broadly recommends collaboration within and between systems, as well as including young people and their families in meaningful ways, in order to improve outcomes for transition aged youth. Finally, the articles in this review present policy and program recommendations for the education sector to more effectively serve young people with mental health and/or substance use problems.