Sexuality and Mental Health in Emerging Adulthood

Sexual experience is considered an important developmental milestone for emerging adults. Whereas some sexual experiences incur benefits, others are associated with negative mental health outcomes. This chapter first describes the cultural context in which emerging adults experience their sexuality, including sexualized media, sexual scripts, hookup culture, and technology, and the impact of these contextual forces on emerging adults’ psychological well-being. The mental health effects of sexual behaviors are also discussed as they relate to various relational contexts, including committed romantic relationships, casual “hookups,” and ongoing casual relationships (e.g., “friends with benefits”), with an emphasis on the disproportionate negative outcomes for women and the limited empirical research on the impact of these experiences on racial and sexual minority individuals. The chapter further discusses the mental health outcomes affecting emerging adults with sexual and gender minority identities. The chapter concludes with important directions for future work, including longitudinal studies and greater attention to intersectionality.

The Correlation Between Political Socialization and Sexual Activity among American Adolescents

In the past half-century, culture in the United States has experienced a significant shift in the acceptance of casual sex. On the grounds of educational institutions, students have come to engage more freely with “hookup culture.” For professional-minded individuals, engaging in no-strings-attached relationships have benefitted their careers while not having to sacrifice intimate moments with others. During such a politically-charged moment in this nation’s history, when ideological polarization is so prevalent, it is important to ask just how much adolescents, who are on the cusp of engaging in sexual activity, are informed by the political circumstances that exist within their surroundings and daily lives. A review of literature on these intersectional subjects shows that, though both have been considered separately, little has been done in meta-data analysis to determine the relationship in adolescents between the two. This paper will determine whether sexual activity of individuals aged 14-18 is correlated at all to the socializing effects of the political ideologies within their upbringings.

Girls’ Night Out: The Role of Women-Centered Friendship Groups in University Hookup Culture

There is a wealth of research that has addressed gender dynamics in hookup culture. Drawing on focus group interviews with undergraduate women at a mid-sized university in Canada, I examine the shared rituals, practices, and perceived risks within women-centered friendship groups during a typical “girls’ night out.” I confirm that undergraduate women experience many potential risks to their safety and well-being as they navigate the hookup scene and interact with undergraduate men. To try to mitigate those risks and attempt to enjoy their nights out, I find that undergraduate women spend significant portions of their evenings dedicated to women-centered bonding rituals and partying. I show that undergraduate women engage in gendered strategies within their friendship group to have fun, connect with desirable hookup partners, and try to keep their friends safe. By expanding the social scripts of their nights out in hookup culture, I show the types of gender selves that are produced within women-centered friendship groups and reveal the importance of women-centered friendship groups to the maintenance of hookup culture itself.

The language of hookups: A conversation and self-presentation analysis of Tinder chats

Tinder, a location-based real-time dating application, has significantly influenced the shift in people’s attitudes toward sexual expression and the existing hookup culture. Using conversation and self-presentation analysis, this research aimed to explore hookups’ communicative patterns and examine how self-presentation manifests in Tinder chats. Some of the determinants of successful and failed hookups are also provided. Exchanges among some 20 interactants reveal this discursive pattern of hookups: (1) It’s a Match; (2) Opening Sequence; (3) Screening; (4) Transferring to Other Social Networks; (5) Sending Down to Fuck (DTF) Signals; (6) Compromising; and (7) Confirming and Closing. Interestingly, the performative roles of sex positions play a big part for gay participants. Many of the heterosexual participants, however, still follow the traditional scripting of hookups. Apparently, a hookup is not possible if there is no agreement as to the “where” and “when” of sexual activity. Meanwhile, the predominant image present in hookup-motivated chats is being “provocative” and a “good catch.”

The Effect of Differential Susceptibility to Social Influence on Endorsement of College Hookup Culture

College hookup culture is seen on nearly every college campus in the United States with many students partaking in the culture. Many college students feel pressured to hook up because they are misled by the belief that most of their peers are hooking up. For the present study, we examined the effects of a woman’s extent of susceptibility to social influence, college year, and relationship status on her perceptions of college hookup culture. To investigate this topic, 115 female undergraduate participants were gathered from a single-sex college who identified either as an underlevel or upperlevel student and as being single or in a relationship. Then, all participants took an online survey where they completed measures to assess participants’ susceptibility to social influence and perceptions about college hookup culture. Finally, participants were asked their relationship status, year in college, and degree of religiosity, the third of which was used as a covariate in analyses. Results found that participants with high susceptibility to social influence perceived hookup culture more favorably than students with low susceptibility. Furthermore, underlevel students did not perceive hookup culture differently from upperlevel students. Finally, it was found that participants in a relationship did not perceive hookup culture differently than single participants. Implications for the study’s results include the possible development of sexual educational programs to address perceptions about peers’ rates of hooking up versus reality in order to alleviate social pressures that those highly susceptible to influence might feel.