經常會聽到年長的人說正在經歷“上有老，下有小”的“中年危機”（mid-life crisis），自己累得一塌糊涂，結果還可能四處不討好。而眼下在鬧危機的似乎不僅是中年人了。剛走出大學校門的年輕人也在經歷著屬于他們的quarterlife crisis（青年危機）：就業、考研、家庭、感情糾結著讓他們找不到方向。

Quarterlife crisis refers to feelings of confusion, anxiety, and self-doubt experienced by some people in their twenties, especially after completing their education. The term is named by analogy with mid-life crisis.
Quarterlife crisis（青年危機）指二十幾歲的年輕人，尤其在剛剛完成學業后，經歷的迷茫、焦慮及自我懷疑等情緒。這是仿照mid-life crisis（中年危機）這個說法來定義的。

The quarterlife crisis variation was popularized by a book called Quarterlife Crisis: The Unique Challenges of Life in Your Twenties, by Alexandra Robbins and Abby Wilner, which was published in May, 2001.
Quarterlife crisis 這一說法在2001年5月由亞歷山大?羅賓斯和艾比?維爾納合著的名為《青年危機：你二十幾歲時獨特的生活挑戰》的書出版后開始被廣泛使用。

例如：

I struggled with anxiety, panic, and fear for some time, never knowing it was driven by my quarterlife crisis.
我曾經一度在焦慮、恐慌和恐懼中掙扎，從未想到那是受青年危機影響的結果。

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen）