Attitudes Toward the Continuation of Family Rituals Among Emerging Adults

In this study we examined college students' assessment of the personal meaningfulness of their families' rituals and their desire to initiate family rituals in the future. Participants were 46 male and 49 female never-married, primarily European American undergraduates at a private east coast university. It was found that women were more likely than men to see themselves initiating future family rituals. The amount of ritual initiation undertaken by participants' same-sex parents and participants' communality were significant predictors of reported likelihood of future ritual initiation. A “caring” parenting style was the only significant predictor of the meaningfulness of rituals. The relationships of respondents' religious and ethnic background and their parents' marital status to their attitudes toward rituals were also examined.     

Associations Between Proactive and Reactive Aggression and Risky Sexual Behavior Among Emerging Adults

This study examined associations between proactive and reactive aggression and types of risky sexual behavior. Additionally, gender was examined as a moderator of these associations. The sample included emerging adults (N = 232; male = 132) ranging from 18 to 25 years of age. Of the overall sample, 155 individuals (53.5% male) reported engaging in sexual intercourse. Proactive, but not reactive, aggression was uniquely associated with 4 types of risky sexual behavior (i.e., ever engaging in sexual intercourse, number of lifetime sexual partners, number of partners within past 3 months, and frequency of contraception use). Further, associations with number of sexual partners were strongest when levels of reactive aggression were low. With regard to gender differences, proactive aggression was associated with lower likelihood of contraception use in males. Gender also moderated the association between reactive aggression and number of lifetime sexual partners. Implications and future directions are discussed.     

Centrality of Religiosity of Relationships for Affectionate and Sexual Behaviors Among Emerging Adults

Emerging adults’ religiosity has been consistently linked with less participation in sexual behaviors as supported by cognitive dissonance theory. However, this association may be different when examining centrality of religiosity of relationships (CRR), meaning participating in and discussing religiosity and spirituality with a current or anticipated romantic partner. The goal of this study is to examine the influence of CRR for emerging adults’ affectionate and sexual behaviors. Additionally, we test if the association between CRR and affectionate and sexual behaviors varies by gender, given males’ more positive attitudes towards sexual behaviors compared to females. Data for this study comes from 284 emerging adults, ages 18 to 29 (mean age = 20.9 years; 70.1% female) from an area in the Midwestern United States. Results illustrated that CRR is negatively associated with affectionate behaviors, intimate touching behaviors, oral sex behaviors, and sexual (vaginal) intercourse. Additionally, gender significantly moderated these relationships. Male participants reporting low levels of CRR conveyed significantly higher participation with these sexual behaviors compared to males reporting high levels of CRR, whereas CRR did not appear to significantly alter female participants’ engagement with these sexual behaviors. These findings provide some evidence that CRR contributes to males’ romantic development and that CRR may increase intimacy in females’ romantic relationships, which could promote sexual activity. Other implications for religious and sexual development are discussed.     

Premarital Sexual Debut in Emerging Adults of South Asian Descent: The Role of Parental Sexual Socialization and Sexual Attitudes

Ethnicity is an important factor in premarital sexual debut as norms regarding appropriate sexual conduct outside of marriage vary considerably across cultures. Emerging adults of South Asian descent living in Western societies are an important demographic group, yet little is known about the factors that contribute to variations in their premarital sexual debut. The goal of this study was to investigate the contributions of parental sexual socialization and attitudes toward premarital sexual behaviors to premarital sexual debut in emerging adults of South Asian descent. University students of South Asian descent (N = 87) aged 18–24 completed a questionnaire containing measures of parental attitudes toward premarital sexual behaviors, their own attitudes toward premarital sexual behaviors, and experience with oral sex and intercourse. Mediation analyses showed that perceptions of mothers’ as more permissive toward premarital sexual behaviors was associated with respondents reporting more permissive attitudes toward premarital sexual behaviors, which in turn was associated with a greater likelihood of having engaged in oral sex and intercourse. No significant effect was found for fathers. These findings suggest that parental sexual socialization may influence emerging adults of South Asian descent’s decision to engage in premarital sexual behaviors through the process of sexual attitudes formation.     

Predictors of Sexual Consent Attitudes,Beliefs, and Behaviors Among Sexual Minority Cisgender and Nonbinary Young Adults

Sexual assault is a major public health concern in the United States that disproportionately affects sexual minority cisgender and nonbinary young adults. Although sexual assault is influenced by a myriad of societal and interpersonal factors, misunderstandings during the communication and interpretation of sexual consent signals likely contribute to this public health crisis. Unfortunately, research on sexual consent miscommunication has been heavily informed by heteronormative theories and conducted primarily with cisgender heterosexual men and women. The present study attempted to help address this gap in the literature by exploring factors that contribute to sexual consent attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors in a sample of 251 cisgender and nonbinary sexual minority young adults. Nonbinary participants reported more proactive sexual consent attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors than cisgender participants. Sexual assertiveness was also a robust and unique predictor of adaptive sexual consent, particularly among those who identified as more traditionally masculine. Findings from the current study may help guide the development of more inclusive, research-informed sexual consent and sexual violence prevention programs.

     

Close Relationships and Happiness Among Emerging Adults

The present investigation examined the role of multiple close relationships (mother, father, best friend, and romantic partner, if any) in happiness among emerging adults with and without a romantic partner. The results for those without a partner (n = 152) revealed that only the relationship experiences with mother and best friend were predictive of happiness. On the other hand, the findings for those with a partner (n = 159) showed that only three factors, namely mother–child relationship quality, romantic relationship quality and conflict were predictive of happiness. The results for this group also suggested that romantic relationship quality was protective of best friendship conflict; moreover, best friendship quality did not buffer the negative impact of romantic partner conflict on happiness, suggesting a less important role of best friends in happiness. In other words, the findings suggest that when emerging adults are involved in a romantic relationship, friends’ importance in happiness might be less pronounced or not pronounced at all. The results were discussed in light of the literature and suggestions were made for future research.     

Conception of Adulthood Among Iranian Emerging Adults

Using a questionnaire adapted from Arnett and Padilla‐Walker (2015), the authors examined the concept of adulthood among 366 Iranian emerging adults ages 17 to 29. Results suggested that the concept and criteria of adulthood are influenced by the cultural context. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are discussed.     

Opposite-Sex Siblings and Marital Beliefs Among Emerging Adults

Data from 428 emerging adults were analyzed to investigate how growing up with at least one opposite-sex sibling related to marital beliefs. Participants were divided into three groups: having an opposite-sex sibling, having only a same–same sibling(s), and having no siblings. Using the belief dimensions and assumptions of Marital Paradigms Theory, results from a MANCOVA indicated a few statistically significant associations regarding opposite-sex siblings. Those with an opposite-sex sibling tended to believe in having shorter ideal engagement periods (marital timing), rated getting married as especially important (marital salience), and were less likely to believe cohabitation was a good preparation for marriage (marital context). Implications for future research are briefly explored.     

Correlates of the Dysregulation Profile Among Emerging Adults

Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment - The Child Behavior Checklist-Dysregulation Profile has been utilized as a potential predictive measure of future psychopathology among...     

Associations Between Sexual Behavior, Sexual Attitudes, and Marital Horizons During Emerging Adulthood

Using a sample of 1,134 emerging adults, this study explores how the importance place on marriage, ideal marital timing, and criteria for marriage readiness varies by sexual experience. Sexual experience groups were created using cluster analysis techniques that incorporated both sexual behaviors and attitudes. Results from this study indicate that high rates of sexual experience were related to an increased personal belief that marriage is an important goal and a belief that being single holds more advantages over being married. Emerging adults with high rates of sexual experience were also more likely to believe that sexual experience and cohabitation are important criteria for marriage readiness.     

Work and Family Commitment and Decision-Making Status Among Emerging Adults

This study was designed to investigate work–family attitudes among emerging adults. Participants were 46 male and 49 female college juniors and seniors. Men and women had similar levels of work and family commitment. For women there was a negative correlation between work and family commitment. Exploratory analyses indicated different relationships between work decision-making status and commitment and family decision-making status and commitment. In addition, whereas men were more likely than women not yet to have thought about family roles, women were more likely than men to have decided about family roles. Implications of these findings for our understanding of the processes and meanings of emerging adult men's and women's decisions about entry into and commitment toward work and family roles are discussed. Although earlier literature employs the term “young adults” to refer to individuals in the emerging adult stage of development, for the sake of consistency we use the term “emerging adults” throughout this article.     

Religiosity,Spirituality, Sexual Attitudes,and Sexual Behaviors Among College Students

The purpose of this study was to determine whether religiosity, spirituality, and sexual attitudes accounted for differences in sexual behaviors among college students. The sample included 960 college students enrolled at four northeastern colleges. Results indicated differences in sexual attitudes, religiosity, and spirituality by gender. Moreover, sexual attitudes, religiosity, and spirituality were associated with sexual behaviors among college students. Sexual behaviors among males were influenced by their sexual attitudes, religiosity, and spirituality, while for females, their sexual behaviors were mostly influenced by their sexual attitudes. College health professionals can use these findings when discussing sexual practices with students.     

Religion and Attitudes Toward Family Planning Issues Among US Adults

Although religion is an important influence on a variety of social attitudes, the relationship between religion and views on family planning remains underexplored, especially in terms of attitudes relating to public policy. Using data from a nationally-representative survey (N = 1,500) fielded in 1998, we examine the influence of religious affiliation, subcultural identification, and attendance on three aspects of attitudes toward contraception in the public sphere. Specifically, we explore opinions regarding the public consequences of contraception and the responsibility for making contraception available as part of health care services in the United States. More frequent religious attendance is linked to less-approving opinions about contraception and less support for its provision by the US government and health insurers. Catholic affiliation is not consistently associated with the examined opinions, and we find mixed results for conservative Protestants. Including religious subcultural identities yields additional information, with born-again Christians reporting less positive opinions about the consequences of contraceptive availability, while evangelical identity is linked to negative views on policy aimed at increasing access to family planning services. These findings contribute to knowledge about the relationship between religion and attitudes toward policy-relevant aspects of contraception, as well as the broader social influences of religious subcultural identification.     

Family Influences on Hooking Up and Dating Among Emerging Adults

Existing research posits that young adults navigate the developmental tasks of emerging adulthood, including sexual and romantic relationship formation, in context of geographic and social separation from families of origin. This assumption of independence reflects the ongoing focus on privileged samples to the exclusion of working class, racial/ethnic minority, and immigrant young adults, many of whom live with family through the emerging adult years. This exploratory analysis employs interview data from a racially and socioeconomically diverse sample of 85 college attending emerging adults who live with or proximate to family to explore how families of origin shape interpersonal relationships. Findings show that family members impart both direct and indirect socialization messages that encourage career development over relationship formation. Families also engage in surveillance of emerging adults, applied disproportionately to women. Results are discussed in terms of differences and commonalities of experience across race/ethnicity, nativity, class, and gender, and the salience of family to these processes.     

The Complexity of Ethnic Identity Among Jewish American Emerging Adults

Jewish Americans may grapple with issues of ethnic identity differently than the larger White American group. Drawn from a large multisite sample (N = 8,501), 280 Jewish American (207 female, 73 male) emerging adults were compared with White American and ethnic minority samples on ethnic and U.S. identity. Jewish Americans rated themselves as significantly higher on measures of ethnic and U.S. identity compared with White Americans but not as highly as ethnic minorities. Ethnic identity search, affirmation, and resolution also predicted higher self-esteem for Jewish Americans, similar to the pattern for other ethnic groups. In addition, ethnic identity search and affirmation moderated the link between perceived discrimination and depressive symptoms among Jewish Americans.     

Evaluating Attitudes and Experience With Emerging Technology in Cadets and Civilian Undergraduates

Existing research on the characteristics of digital natives, traditionally defined as those born after 1980, has shown subtle differences in how they approach technology compared with other cohorts. However, much of the existing research has focused on a limited set of conventional technologies, mostly related to learning. In addition, prior research has shown differences within this cohort in how they respond to autonomous technology (e.g., trust, reliance; Pak, Rovira, McLaughlin, &; Baldwin, 2016 Pak, R., Rovira, E., McLaughlin, A., &; Baldwin, N. (2016). Does the domain of technology impact user trust? Investigating trust in automation across different consumer-oriented domains in young adults, military, and older adults. Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science, 18, 199–220. 10.1080/1463922x.2016.1175523[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). The purpose of this short report, representing the first wave of data collection in a larger study examining technology experience and attitude change, is to directly address 2 shortcomings in the literature on digital natives which tends to emphasize: (a) civilian students; and (b) conventional, often learning technologies. We addressed these 2 issues by recruiting 2 subgroups of digital natives (students and military cadets) and assessing attitudes and experience with a wide range of technology spanning from conventional (e.g., mobile) to emerging (e.g., robotics). The results showed that that both groups were surprisingly unfamiliar with emerging consumer technologies. Additionally, contrary to expectations, cadets were significantly, albeit only slightly, less experienced with mobile technologies, VR/augmented reality, social media, and entertainment technology as compared to civilian undergraduates.     

Changes in Religiosity Among Lesbian,Gay, and Bisexual Emerging Adults

Highly religious Americans are relatively likely to oppose lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) rights and many churches are unwelcoming to sexual minorities, which may lead LGB Americans to retreat from religion. To assess this possibility, we investigate trajectories of religious change for sexual minorities and other emerging adults. We use two longitudinal data sources (National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health and the National Study of Youth and Religion) to explore how sexuality predicts the likelihood of decreasing religiosity in emerging adulthood. Results show that three different operationalizations of sexual minority status—attraction, behavior, and identity—are each strongly and consistently associated with disaffiliating from religion and declines in religious service attendance. On the other hand, sexual minority status has inconsistent and relatively small associations with changes in prayer. We conclude by discussing how these results further understanding of religion, sexual identity, and the current generation of emerging adults.     

Self-Efficacy and Sexual Purity among SDA Emerging Adults: A Bivariate Analysis*

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the ability of SDA emerging adults (N?=?558) to remain sexually abstinent prior to marriage in spite of pressures to engage in such act. The researchers explored whether gender and racial differences exist among this group. The results showed a significant difference between SDA emerging males and females regarding their levels of self-efficacy (t _(df=372)?=?2.207; p?<?.05), and a significant difference among SDA emerging Caucasians, African Americans and other races as it relates to their levels of self-efficacy (F _{(df 2, 555)}?=?6.602, p?<?.05). The researchers recommend that religious institutions focus on the factors that influence the levels of self-efficacy, rather than simply emphasizing a sexually-abstinent lifestyle.     

Contextualizing Gender and Acculturative Influences on Sexual Initiation of Asian Indian Emerging Adults

Although Asian Indians represent one the fastest growing demographics in the United States, no studies exist on the sexual behavior of Asian Indian youth or its association with acculturation. Previous research has demonstrated a link between earlier sexual initiation and subsequent sexual risk and the role of acculturation and sexual initiation in other Asian groups. The present exploratory study examined gender and acculturation with regard to sexual initiation in Asian Indians (n = 37). Results reveal no significant gender differences in sexual initiation and total acculturation scores. Gender differences did emerge for the association among sexual behaviors and the influence of specific areas of acculturation on sexual initiation. Findings suggest that gender and acculturation may be important variables in understanding sexual behavior but that current acculturation measures may be insufficient to adequately assess acculturation levels of Asian Indian youth. Future research should focus on Asian Indians as an understudied minority group.