The Breakup

2019 ◽  
pp. 157-186
Author(s):  
Varda Konstam
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Sexual Behaviors ◽  
Narrative Theory ◽  
Causal Attributions ◽  
Emerging Adult ◽  
Negative Outcomes ◽  
Adult Study ◽  
Points Of View ◽  
Attachment Model ◽  
Study Participants

This chapter explores how emerging adults make meaning of breakups and adapt to romantic loss. Causal attributions are considered and both positive and negative outcomes of breakups are explored. Theories and studies related to loss are examined, including Bowlby’s attachment model and narrative theory. An examination of churning relationships, as well as of common sexual behaviors related to breakups, such as sex with an ex, rebound sex, and revenge sex, help inform our understanding of when and how relationships come to an end. The 29 emerging-adult study participants relay their experiences and points of view with respect to romantic breakups.

Emerging Adult Sexual Behavior

2021 ◽  
pp. 43-64
Author(s):  
Sara A. Vasilenko
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Behavior ◽  
Emerging Adulthood ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Sexual Behaviors ◽  
Emerging Adult ◽  
Casual Sex ◽  
Vaginal Intercourse ◽  
Considerable Variability ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Sizeable Minority

By emerging adulthood, the majority of individuals have engaged in some types of sexual behavior. However, during this period there is considerable variability and change in the prevalence of recent sexual behaviors and their relationship contexts. This chapter reviews the literature on the prevalence of multiple sexual behaviors, focusing on data from nationally representative studies where possible. Findings suggest that most emerging adults engage in behaviors such as kissing, oral sex, and vaginal intercourse during emerging adulthood, with peak prevalence of these behaviors in the late twenties or early thirties. Other behaviors, such as partnered masturbation, anal sex, and kink behaviors are also practiced by a sizeable minority of individuals. Although many individuals engage in casual sex during emerging adulthood, most instances of sexual behavior occur in relationships. Differences in sexual behavior across several subgroups are discussed, with a particular focus on gender and sexual orientation.

Parental Physical Force and Alcohol Use in Emerging Adults: Mediation by Psychological Problems

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (10) ◽  
pp. 2087-2109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Ward Pollard ◽  
Cliff McKinney
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Emerging Adulthood ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Emerging Adult ◽  
Physical Punishment ◽  
Psychological Problems ◽  
Negative Outcomes ◽  
Physical Force ◽  
Excessive Alcohol

Research has indicated that negative parenting practices, such as physical punishment, are associated with negative outcomes in children. These negative outcomes can present during childhood and during emerging adulthood. One negative consequence can be excessive alcohol use, a problematic outcome with its own myriad consequences. The goal of the current study was to examine the effects of parental physical force on emerging adult functioning, specifically alcohol and psychological problems. A sample of 488 young adults completed questionnaires on current perceptions related to alcohol-related problems, physical and psychological aggression by their parents experienced during the previous year, and current emotional and behavioral functioning. Results showed full mediation between paternal physical force and emerging adult alcohol problems by emerging adult psychological problems. Emerging adult psychological problems partially mediated the effect of maternal physical force on emerging adult alcohol problem. Gender did not moderate these effects. The results support existing literature suggesting that the use of parental physical force may lead to a chain reaction of problems, even during emerging adulthood. These results also reveal that emerging adults report currently receiving physical force from their parents, which brings to light a concerning lack of literature on the use of parental physical force on emerging adult children. These results advocate for positive parenting practives and efforts to teach them, even for emerging adult children. The results may also clinically suggest that paying attention to parental force in emerging adult clients could yield a better understanding of their current functioning, especially including excessive alcohol use.

Digital Technologies and Sex

2020 ◽  
pp. 240-250
Author(s):  
Shane W. Kraus ◽  
Marc N. Potenza
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Sexual Behaviors ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Casual Sex ◽  
Sexual Practices ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Sexual Activities ◽  
Pornography Use ◽  
Adolescents And Adults

The Internet has revolutionized the way in which we consume and participate in sexual activities. Digital technologies are shaping the ways in which people interact with one another romantically and sexually. This chapter reviews some of the ways in which digital technologies are potentially shaping sexual behaviors, especially those of adolescents and young adults. Evidence suggests that technologies are facilitating increasingly more sexual activities among young people and adults, yet our understanding of these remains incomplete. The Internet has made pornography highly accessible to most individuals around the world, but the effects of frequent pornography use on individuals’ sexual beliefs and practices remain largely unknown. Sexting is also common among adolescents and adults, with some initial evidence finding that sexting was a partial mediator between problematic alcohol use and sexual hookups. More work on sexting behaviors is needed, particularly among vulnerable populations or groups at risk for exploitation. The wide use of smartphone applications designed to help users find casual sex partners are becoming more common, mirroring the increasing acceptability of having relationally uncommitted sex among young adults. More research is needed to investigate the influences of digital technologies on shaping the sexual practices of adolescents and emerging adults who may be spending increasingly more time online. Furthermore, more research is needed to examine both the potential benefits and risks associated with digital technologies that may facilitate sexual behaviors.

Emerging Adult Report of Childhood Maltreatment and Related Facets of Impulsivity

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052199795
Author(s):  
Mary Moussa Rogers ◽  
Erica Szkody ◽  
Cliff McKinney
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Childhood Maltreatment ◽  
Sensation Seeking ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Emerging Adult ◽  
Negative Urgency ◽  
Child Gender ◽  
Emotional Maltreatment ◽  
Gender Dyads ◽  
Physical Maltreatment

Childhood maltreatment is related to a host of outcomes, many of which may be partially explained by the transdiagnostic factor of impulsivity. The research linking maltreatment to impulsivity is well supported. However, research differentiating between emotional and physical maltreatment and impulsivity is lacking, particularly with regard to facets of trait impulsivity. Thus, the current study examined the links between childhood emotional and physical maltreatment and current impulsivity traits of positive and negative urgency, lack of perseverance, lack of premeditation, and sensation seeking in emerging adults. Furthermore, effects of maltreatment are known to differ by the gender of the parent and the gender of the child. Thus, differences between parent-emerging adult child gender dyads were also examined. Results suggested both physical and emotional maltreatment were associated with negative urgency across the parent–child gender dyads. Emotional maltreatment and physical maltreatment differed in relation to impulsivity facet across parent and child gender. Results contribute to a knowledge base to use in future exploration of emotional and physical maltreatment outcomes and targets of intervention.

scholarly journals Are perceptions of grandparenthood related to family and life satisfaction? A study with emerging adults

2021 ◽  
pp. 026540752098115
Author(s):  
Isabel Miguel ◽  
Alexandra M. Araújo ◽  
Sandra Fernandes ◽  
Luísa Carneiro ◽  
Paula Fernandes
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Emerging Adult ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Family Satisfaction ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Adult Grandchildren

Given the crucial role that grandparents play in the upbringing and well-being of their grandchildren, research regarding the perceived importance of grandparents for their emerging adult grandchildren is of particular relevance. This study examined the relations between perceived grandparents’ roles and family and life satisfaction in Portuguese emerging adults. Participants (N = 387), aged 18–25, completed a structured self-report questionnaire. Findings of structural equation modeling showed that emerging adults’ perceptions of grandparental roles of counselor, enjoying the relationship, and indulgence are positively related to their family and life satisfaction. The mediation analysis showed that family satisfaction mediated the relation between perceptions of grandparents acting as counselors and the life satisfaction of emerging adult grandchildren. Implications of family relationships and grandparenting in the context of emerging adulthood are discussed.

Emerging Adult Perceptions of and Preferences for Parenting Styles and Associated Psychological Outcomes

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (9) ◽  
pp. 2491-2504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cliff McKinney ◽  
Janet W. Kwan
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Parenting Style ◽  
Parenting Styles ◽  
Child Outcomes ◽  
Emerging Adult ◽  
Risky Behaviors ◽  
Psychological Problems ◽  
Child Gender ◽  
Perceived Parenting ◽  
Gender Dyads

Research suggests that child perception of parenting styles may strongly influence child outcomes and parents must balance support and structure based on their emerging adult children’s changing needs. The current study examined emerging adult perceptions of parenting style in comparison with their preferences and how these characteristics interact to predict psychological problems. Significant interactions between preferred and perceived parenting style were found, several of which were further moderated by gender. Results suggest that emerging adults prefer parenting styles that grant autonomy, and males reported lower psychological problems when they also perceived such a parenting style, whereas females reported higher psychological problems. This may suggest that females experience more risky behaviors while at college when granted autonomy relative to males, thus accounting for their higher psychological problems. The current study emphasizes the ongoing impact of parental influences on emerging adult outcomes and that children’s preferences and perceptions influence parent–child gender dyads.

scholarly journals Master Narratives, Gender Identity, Socialization Processes

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate C. McLean ◽  
Chelsea Fordham ◽  
Samantha Boggs ◽  
Staci Byers ◽  
Kristin Gudbjorg Haraldsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Identity ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Emerging Adult ◽  
Master Narrative ◽  
Master Narratives ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Identity Processes ◽  
Personal Experiences

Gender Identity and Master NarrativesThe present studies focused on the role and socialization of biographical master narratives – cultural narratives that prescribe the types and ordering of events that should occur in one’s personal life identity narrative – by focusing on adolescent and emerging adult gender identity development. We employed a combined explanatory and triangulation mixed methods design. Study 1a (n = 414) was a survey study examining the expected biographical master narrative events for men and women, and the content of master narrative deviation and conformity in an emerging adult sample. In Study 1b (n = 14) we interviewed participants from Study 1a about their conformity and deviation narratives, as well as their socialization experiences regarding gendered biographical master narratives. In Study 2 mothers and adolescents (n = 11 pairs), engaged in conversation about expected life course events, as well as a follow-up interview about their conversation. We first found that there are more gender differences in the personal experiences of conformity to and deviation from master narratives compared to the expectations of the life course (Study 1a). Second, deviating is related to more engagement in identity processes (Study 1a). Third, emerging adults report contradictions in retrospective reports of socialization messages regarding expectations (Study 1b), a finding confirmed in a discourse analysis of mothers and their adolescents (Study 2). Overall, across the studies, we see that 1) adolescents and emerging adults are engaged in a delicate balance of negotiating between various cultural and familial messages, as well as personal experiences, about gender identity particularly in regards to gender equality and, 2) there is a complex relation between socialization messages about gender equality that may make some biographical master narratives about the expected life course events for men and women more resistant to change.

Do differences matter? A typology of emerging adult romantic relationship

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 334-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia N. E. Roberson ◽  
Jerika Christine Norona ◽  
Jessica N. Fish ◽  
Spencer B. Olmstead ◽  
Frank Fincham
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Emerging Adult ◽  
Predictor Variables ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Latent Class Analyses ◽  
Group Variation

Romantic relationships among emerging adults (individuals aged 18–25 years) are typically homogenously classified both theoretically and empirically as “exploratory” and “unstable.” With a sample of college students ( N = 340), we examined within-group variation among romantic relationships in emerging adulthood using latent class analyses. Four predictor variables indicated four types of romantic relationships among emerging adult college students: the committers (38%), the casual daters (23%), the settlers (30%), and the volatile daters (8%). Classes varied according to background variables such as gender and infidelity. Additionally, there was class variation for outcome variables such as breakup status and loneliness. Future research and implications are discussed.

Parenting Practices and Emerging Adult Well-Being in the United States and China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu Su ◽  
Alyssa McElwain ◽  
Xi Lin
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Parental Support ◽  
Parenting Practices ◽  
Psychological Control ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Emerging Adult ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Helicopter Parenting ◽  
Two Samples

Parenting practices that promote or inhibit autonomy in their emerging adult child can impact the well-being of emerging adults. This study explored a variety of parenting practices and how these practices impact emerging adult well-being across two cultures. Associations between parental support, involvement, helicopter parenting, and psychological control and emerging adults’ well-being were compared between two samples of participants ages 18-25: American ( n = 643) and Chinese ( n = 514). Results indicate that parental support can promote well-being among emerging adults, but autonomy-limiting practices of psychological control and helicopter parenting seem to be unfavorable for emerging adults regardless of culture. Differences in reported mean levels of the four parenting practices were observed across the two culturally specific samples; however, the strength of associations between practices and emerging adult well-being was not statistically different.

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