Diverse Trajectories at the Intersection of Religion and Sexuality During Emerging Adulthood

2021 ◽  
pp. 347-370
Author(s):  
Brian J. Willoughby ◽  
Loren D. Marks ◽  
David C. Dollahite

This chapter explores the intersection of religion and sex among emerging adults. It first discusses the extant empirical literature related to how religion influences sexual behavioral decisions as well as the link between religion and sexual values and attitudes. It then acknowledges a general waning from religion during emerging adulthood but presents diverse trajectories related to the religious lives of emerging adults and their sexual decision making. Next, the chapter discusses a variety of pathways and trajectories through which emerging adults may travel as they navigate decisions involving relationships and sexual intimacy and how such decisions are, may be, or are not influenced by religion. The four presented trajectories are religious rejecters, religious remainers, religious returners, and religious innovators. The chapter concludes by addressing some additional complexities regarding emerging adults, religion, and sex and offers some concluding questions and directions for future research.

Author(s):  
Jaehee Yi ◽  
Tian Tian ◽  
Jonghee Kim

This chapter elucidates the positive developmental outcomes of emerging adults facing physical chronic illness in five areas, using the emerging adulthood theory: (1) exploring identity, (2) being self-focused, (3) feeling in between adolescence and adulthood, (4) experiencing uncertainty and instability, and (5) having optimism/perceiving possibilities. The chapter describes how emerging adults with physical health challenges might flourish more than their healthy peers in each of the five areas, despite or even because of their illness experiences. For example, they are likely to develop a specific career path related to their illness experience, be more autonomous and mature, and have greater tolerance and resilience. The chapter also includes limitations and directions for future research.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 1097-1119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill R. Bowers ◽  
Chris Segrin ◽  
Nicholas Joyce

The consequences of risky sexual behaviors are a serious health concern. We hypothesized that the transitional instability that occurs as a part of typical developmental changes in emerging adulthood would be positively associated with sexual risk taking. A survey of emerging adults showed that the instability–sexual risk-taking association was positive and significant as predicted. Moreover, psychological distress (depression and loneliness) and dysfunctional drinking motivations (drinking to ease emotional pain or to gain peer acceptance) moderated and intensified the association between instability and sexual risk taking. Implications for future research with instability and risk-taking behaviors in emerging adulthood are discussed.


2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 815-825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cara L. Wallace

AbstractObjective:Patients and families coping with a terminal illness are faced with a number of decisions over the course of their disease. The role that family communication plays in the process of decision making is an important one. The objectives for this review are to examine the current state of empirical literature on the relationship between family communication and decision making about end-of-life care, to identify gaps, and to discuss implications for policy, practice, and future research.Method:Articles were identified using systematic keyword searches within the following relevant databases: Academic Search Complete, CINAHL Plus, Communications and Mass Media Complete, ERIC, PsychINFO, MEDLINE, SocINDEX, and ProQuest.Results:The three bodies of relevant literature that emerged during this review include: (1) the importance of family communication at the end of life (EoL); (2) family decision making at the EoL; and (3) the interrelationship of communication (both within the family and with healthcare professionals) and decision making at the EoL. While the literature highlights the role of communication between medical professionals and the patient or family members, there is very little focus on the process of how family communication among the family members themselves contributes to decision making at the end of life.Significance of results:Barriers to end-of-life care are important considerations for helping patients to access timely and appropriate services. Understanding the pertinent role of family communication as it relates to the decision for EoL care is the first step in working to provide another avenue for overcoming these barriers.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Oliveira ◽  
Gabriela Fonseca ◽  
Luciana Sotero ◽  
Carla Crespo ◽  
Ana Paula Relvas

<p>The current study aims to describe the relationships between emerging adults and their families and how these evolve over emerging adult years. Through a systematic review of the literature, we extracted data from 38 empirical studies, which met the following inclusion criteria: published since 2000, included emerging adults and/or their relatives as participants, and focused on family relationships. The results showed that most studies examined the parent-child relationship, providing insight into the relational renegotiations occurring during emerging adulthood and into inter-generational discrepancies in the way that parents and children viewed their relationships. Family support was also found to be of substantial relevance during this developmental stage. In addition, sex, age, living arrangements, family structure, socioeconomic status (SES), ethnicity and cultural contexts emerged as key factors influencing family relationships in varied ways. Implications for future research include the need to consider the family as the unit of analysis and to collect data from multiple family members; to conduct longitudinal studies in order to better understand changes in family relationships across emerging adulthood; and to focus on family relationships beyond the parent-child dyads, namely on sibling and grandparent-grandchildren relationships. In conclusion, this review provided a renewed perspective on family relationships during the transition to adulthood, contributing to clinical insights on individual and familial shifts in the fast-paced and complex contemporary context. </p>


Author(s):  
Cyrus Tata ◽  
Jay M. Gormley

In the daily work of criminal justice, the relationship between plea decision-making and sentencing is important. Meanwhile in the academic and policy literatures, it is one of the most controversial. This essay appraises the international empirical literature and the moral arguments surrounding this plea-dependent (guilty/not guilty) “sentence differential.” Sentence differential is the morally neutral term used here to denote practices variously termed as “sentence discount,” “trial tax/penalty,” “guilty plea discount/reduction,” and “sentence bargain/negotiation.” Section II analyzes whether the sentence differential undermines the presumption of innocence. Section III investigates whether the sentence differential violates legal equality. Section IV assesses the three main justifications for the differential. Section V scrutinizes measurement of the sentence differential. Section VI proposes an agenda for future research, including the need for deeper research into the experiences of and interpretations by defendants of the justice process.


2020 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. 667-673
Author(s):  
Michelle MacCalman ◽  
Leia A Harper ◽  
Kristen G Anderson

Abstract Aims Emerging adulthood (ages 18–25) has been associated with elevated alcohol use, yet little is known regarding gender identity and drinking contexts in this population. Our goals were to examine the effects of perceived gender match on alcohol use decision-making in social settings among emerging adults. Methods Participants (N = 135; 64% white, 11 transgender) completed measures of alcohol consumption, alcohol expectancies and motives, and the Collegiate-Simulated Intoxication Digital Elicitation using an established Internet panel. We conducted a series of univariate analyses to examine the relation between perceived gender match and behavioral willingness (BW) to accept alcohol in a social context. Results Participants identifying as men were significantly more likely to accept offers of alcohol when compared with women. While men and women did not differ in terms of BW when participants perceived a gender-matched actor making the offer, when there was a gender mismatch, women had significantly lower BW when compared with men. Though transgender participants were more likely to endorse hazardous drinking behaviors, there were no observable effects of transgender identity on BW. Conclusion In this sample, we found that men have a higher BW for alcohol than women and that trans identified persons are at increased risk for alcohol misuse. These findings support the need for more research examining the effect of gender identity on patterns of alcohol use and decision-making in mixed-gender contexts for emerging adults.


2021 ◽  
pp. 99-116
Author(s):  
Spencer B. Olmstead ◽  
Kristin M. Anders

Romantic relationships and sexuality have been described as crucial developmental experiences during emerging adulthood. One key belief is that many emerging adults are delaying more traditional romantic relationships (e.g., marriage) in favor of more sexually based relationships or avoiding relationships altogether. With increased engagement in sex outside the context of committed relationships, recent research has focused more on the sexual relationships of emerging adults; however, many scholars have shown that there are a variety of diverse pathways that emerging adults take when developing romantic and sexual relationships, and these continue to be an important influence during this period. This chapter discusses current trends in both sexual and romantic relationships of emerging adults, including how these experiences are linked. It also discusses trends related to sex and commitment, stayover relationships and cohabitation, and infidelity during this period. It concludes with recommendations for future research and practice.


2021 ◽  
pp. 406-431
Author(s):  
Meredith Joppa ◽  
Nicole Cantor ◽  
Corey Doremus

Sexual health in emerging adulthood encompasses a wide spectrum of medical and mental health functioning and associated behaviors. This chapter addresses aspects of physical sexual health that are of concern to emerging adults, including prevalence rates, determinants, and consequences of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, and unintended pregnancy among emerging adults. The chapter also discusses sexual dysfunction and its treatment. Whenever possible, the chapter highlights differences in prevalence, risk, and protective factors related to aspects of human diversity, guided by an intersectional approach based on the ADDRESSING framework. Both protective and risky sexual health behaviors and decision making about sexual behavior are discussed, with a focus on the role of substance use in sexual risk taking. The chapter concludes with implications for future research, particularly in the area of prevention.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 333-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Palmeroni ◽  
Laurence Claes ◽  
Margaux Verschueren ◽  
Annabel Bogaerts ◽  
Tinne Buelens ◽  
...  

The process of identity formation can cause a considerable amount of distress leading to pathological forms of identity distress. The present study examined age trends in identity distress and associations with identity exploration and commitment in a sample of 2,286 Flemish adolescents and emerging adults (14–30 years, 55.7% females). Important and theoretically meaningful age trends in identity distress were uncovered. More specifically, identity distress demonstrated a curvilinear trend with the highest levels of distress occurring in emerging adulthood. Concerning the associations between identity distress and identity processes, we found differences among the age periods studied. Identity distress was especially positively related to exploration in breadth and negatively to commitment making in the late 20s, but less so in adolescence and the early 20s. In sum, these results provide important insights into identity distress throughout adolescence and emerging adulthood. Theoretical implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 401-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon-Patrick Allem ◽  
Steve Sussman ◽  
Jennifer B. Unger

Transition-to-adulthood themes, or thoughts and feelings about emerging adulthood, have been measured by the Inventory of the Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood (IDEA) and found to be associated with substance use among emerging adults. It has been suggested, however, that the IDEA is lengthy and may not include the most unique and theoretically relevant constructs of emerging adulthood. The Revised Inventory of the Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood (IDEA-R) was developed as an alternative instrument, but research has yet to determine the relationship between the IDEA-R and substance use among emerging adults (ages 18–25 years). College students completed surveys indicating their identification with transition-to-adulthood themes and substance use. Logistic regression models examined the associations between transition-to-adulthood themes and marijuana use and binge drinking, respectively. Participants who felt emerging adulthood was a time of identity exploration were less likely to report marijuana use, while feelings of experimentation/possibility were positively associated with marijuana use and binge drinking. The IDEA-R may be useful for identifying correlates of substance use among emerging adults. Future research should evaluate the IDEA-R among representative samples of emerging adults to confirm the findings of this study. Health professionals working in substance use prevention may consider targeting the themes of identity exploration and experimentation/possibility in programs intended for emerging adults.


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