Critical moments from a youth transitions' point of view, narrative turning points from a life course perspective, and biographical crisis from a subjective and reflexivity approach have been of interest for those concerned in biographical approaches, life histories, and social trajectories. It has been rightfully associated with qualitative approaches: the life stories that are told are the channel for researchers to identify and analyze the role of these specific moments in the course of lives. But is this the only route to identify, tackle and understand these moments of life? In this article we argue there are other means to analyze them. Using data from the longitudinal project “Linked Lives”, where 15 family histories (with a sum of 15 young people from 18 to 25 years of age) were collected through individual interviews, and qualitative oriented surveys were applied during and after the 2020 and the 2021 pandemic lockdowns; we explore two additional avenues. One is through the interaction during the interview. Based on ethnographic notes on postures, emotions, and interactions, during the interview as a whole, and in the moments where those tough life moments were shared, another layer of understanding is achievable. Not only regarding how these moments impact the lives of young people, but also in relation to the way they are capable and willing to express them. In another approach, we suggest that qualitative-driven surveys are capable of providing stories of tough moments. Using the collected information on self-reported wellbeing and reflections of the several phases of COVID-19 lockdowns, we are able to uncover differences and oscillations of young people in difficult contexts. This may also be an ante-camera of Pandemic long lasting hardship stories. These arguments are contextualized in longitudinal, intergenerational and household scopes, since tough moments are a result of accumulated and inter-personal dynamics.

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Critical moments,Qualitative analysis,Young people,Ethics,Life stories

• Clinical Medicine - Medical and Health Sciences
• Health Sciences - Medical and Health Sciences
• Psychology - Social Sciences
• Educational Sciences - Social Sciences
• Other Social Sciences - Social Sciences