Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Institution
- Publication Year
- Publication
- Publication Type
Articles 1 - 25 of 25
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Love In The Time Of Dating Apps: Exploring Latino Young Adults’ Experiences Constructing Online Identity, Partner Preferences, And Plans For Happily Ever After, Dakota Z. Ross-Cabrera
Love In The Time Of Dating Apps: Exploring Latino Young Adults’ Experiences Constructing Online Identity, Partner Preferences, And Plans For Happily Ever After, Dakota Z. Ross-Cabrera
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
This dissertation examines how Latino young adults navigate dating apps; construct their dating app profiles, select partners and develop preferences, and conceptualize their futures. While earlier dating app research explores these themes with quantitative data or with non-Latino samples, the qualitative experiences of Latino young adults have been broadly excluded. Latinos are a large portion of the dating app market, and their relationships, outcomes, and future family formation are integral to understand. Drawing on 60 qualitative interviews with Latino young adult dating app users, I find that app users encounter five stages of dating app usage including constructing and often …
Two Sides Of The Same Coin Or Two Different Coins? The Differential Predictors Of Casual And Committed Sex, Carson R. Dover
Two Sides Of The Same Coin Or Two Different Coins? The Differential Predictors Of Casual And Committed Sex, Carson R. Dover
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this paper is to analyze potential predictors of accumulating casual vs. committed sexual partners in emerging adulthood. Using a large, national sample of emerging adults in the United States, I examined how alcohol use and attachment orientation differentially predicted accumulating casual and committed sexual partners. I found that higher anxious attachment positively predicted the number of committed sexual partners, while higher avoidant attachment negatively predicted the number of casual sexual partners. I also found that alcohol use positively predicted both the number of casual and committed sexual partners emerging adults accumulated. Further, I tested the strength of …
The Sooner, The Better? Couples' First Financial Discussion, Relationship Quality, And Financial Conflict In Emerging Adulthood, Matthew T. Saxey, Ashley B. Lebaron-Black, Melissa A. Curran
The Sooner, The Better? Couples' First Financial Discussion, Relationship Quality, And Financial Conflict In Emerging Adulthood, Matthew T. Saxey, Ashley B. Lebaron-Black, Melissa A. Curran
Journal of Financial Therapy
In couple relationships, discussing finances is often considered taboo. Specifically, emerging adult couples experience several unique financial challenges that may contribute to poorer financial communication and pose relational risks. Utilizing structural equation modeling with a sample of 1,950 U.S. emerging adults, the current study tests associations between the time of a couple’s first financial discussion, financial communication, relationship quality, and financial conflict. Results indicate that initiating financial discussion earlier in a romantic relationship may benefit relationship quality—through financial communication. However, having an earlier first financial discussion as a couple was also positively associated with financial conflict. Financial therapists might consider …
Sibling Relationship Quality And Its Link To Flourishing Among Emerging Adults, Shannon P. Lummer-Aikey
Sibling Relationship Quality And Its Link To Flourishing Among Emerging Adults, Shannon P. Lummer-Aikey
Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects
Sibling relationships are one of the longest lasting, close relationships individuals have over the life span. Common in emerging adulthood (ages 18-25 years), life transitions (such as college, marriage, and parenthood) can greatly impact the dynamics within the sibling relationship, and may cause a shift in the relationship trajectory. Individuals who have a sibling living with a chronic illness or developmental disability may experience greater difficulty in adjusting to new life transitions because they often worry about their sibling’s needs and future accomplishments. The current study explored the relationship between flourishing and sibling relationship quality among emerging adults who have …
Family Dimensions Of Unequal College Experiences: Students’ Talk Of Self And College In Relation To Family Resources And Relationships, Michael Carl Ide
Family Dimensions Of Unequal College Experiences: Students’ Talk Of Self And College In Relation To Family Resources And Relationships, Michael Carl Ide
Doctoral Dissertations
The “college experience” is normatively presented as enacting independence, often while financially relying on parents. This view normalizes white, middle-class models of college and family. The three interrelated papers comprising this dissertation investigate race, class, and gender differences and inequalities at college through the lens of students’ talk of family. These inductive, qualitative studies draw on semi-structured intensive interviews with undergraduates to explore divergent ways they make sense of college, family, and their self-development. Analyses highlight the multifaceted, and sometimes contradictory meanings participants attach to themes commonly presented as simple and objective (i.e. “paying for college,” “independence,” and “adulthood”). Findings …
Sources Of Anxiety In Emerging Adult Relationships: A Qualitative Analysis, Kayla Gay
Sources Of Anxiety In Emerging Adult Relationships: A Qualitative Analysis, Kayla Gay
Honors Projects
Anxiety is a fairly common experience for individuals, but when this anxiety is extreme or prolonged, it can have detrimental effects both emotionally and physically. Previous research has shown that romantic relationships can have both positive and negative impacts on the mental health and levels of anxiety for individuals and that a number of stressors can create anxiety between romantic partners. The aim of this study was to examine the causes and sources of anxiety experienced by emerging adults specifically within their romantic relationships. A sample of six respondents from the Toledo Adolescent Relationship Study (TARS) who had the highest …
Sources Of Social Support And Gender In Perceived Stress And Individual Adjustment Among Latina/O College-Attending Emerging Adults, Chih Yuan Steven Lee, Sara Goldstein, Bryan J. Dik, Jose M. Rodas
Sources Of Social Support And Gender In Perceived Stress And Individual Adjustment Among Latina/O College-Attending Emerging Adults, Chih Yuan Steven Lee, Sara Goldstein, Bryan J. Dik, Jose M. Rodas
Department of Family Science and Human Development Scholarship and Creative Works
Objectives: We explored the role of particular sources of social support (friends, romantic partners, family) as moderators and mediators in the associations between perceived stress and individual well-being (loneliness, depressive symptoms, and self-rated physical health). We also tested the possible moderating effect of gender to ascertain whether women and men are differentially impacted by social support's diverse sources. Method: Participants were 163 Latina/o emerging adults attending college (85% women; M age = 20.2 years, range: 18-25). Results: Holding perceived stress constant, friend support was negatively associated with loneliness, romantic partner support was negatively related to depressive symptoms, and family support …
Tiger Moms, Dragon Dads, And Baby Pandas: Cultural Expectations Of Success Among Asian-American College Students, Corinne Tam
Tiger Moms, Dragon Dads, And Baby Pandas: Cultural Expectations Of Success Among Asian-American College Students, Corinne Tam
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
Family sociologists explore the societal conditions contributing to the need for young adults to move home following the completion of school. This is known as the boomerang phenomenon, and it can be seen as part of a new life stage in which young adults explore their identities, are unstable and self-focused, feel in-between adolescence and adulthood, and sense broad possibilities for the future. Although scholars explore this condition for contemporary young adults, previous literature does not account for the extra pressures that Asian-Americans face. This research project asks, How do college-aged Asian-Americans deal with expectations of success in a contemporary …
What Happens Here Stays Here? Associations Between Choices During The Twenties And Flourishing Or Floundering During The Thirties, Melanie Lynn Lott
What Happens Here Stays Here? Associations Between Choices During The Twenties And Flourishing Or Floundering During The Thirties, Melanie Lynn Lott
Theses and Dissertations
Life course theory suggests that an individual’s development is influenced by many factors such as one’s past choices and environment. The twenties are a period of great autonomy for many young people with opportunities to engage in choices with lasting consequences, both positive (e.g., furthering education, volunteering) and negative (e.g., crime, risky sexual behavior, heavy video game use). The current study explored the relationship between behaviors during one’s twenties and indices of adjustment (i.e., life satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and hope) and maladjustment (i.e., poor emotional health and regret) in one’s thirties. Additionally, as factors such as income and biological sex …
Moving Toward And Away From Others: A Person-Centered Analysis Of Social Orientations In Emerging Adulthood, Nathan A. Jorgensen
Moving Toward And Away From Others: A Person-Centered Analysis Of Social Orientations In Emerging Adulthood, Nathan A. Jorgensen
Theses and Dissertations
Emerging adulthood is a time rife with transitions, and is thus an important time period to study the various ways in which people both connect with and move away from others, or how they are socially oriented. Previous research has suggested a number of factors that contribute to social orientations, including social motivations, the self in relation to others, other-directed emotions and cognitions, and actual social behaviors. The current study examined what types of social orientations exist and how they relate to indices of relational and individual well-being in a sample of US emerging adults (N = 787). Using latent …
Moving Toward And Away From Others: A Person-Centered Analysis Of Social Orientations In Emerging Adulthood, Nathan A. Jorgensen
Moving Toward And Away From Others: A Person-Centered Analysis Of Social Orientations In Emerging Adulthood, Nathan A. Jorgensen
Theses and Dissertations
Emerging adulthood is a time rife with transitions, and is thus an important time period to study the various ways in which people both connect with and move away from others, or how they are socially oriented. Previous research has suggested a number of factors that contribute to social orientations, including social motivations, the self in relation to others, other-directed emotions and cognitions, and actual social behaviors. The current study examined what types of social orientations exist and how they relate to indices of relational and individual well-being in a sample of US emerging adults (N = 787). Using latent …
Mirror, Mirror On The Wall: An Experimental Study Examining The Relationship Between Music Lyrics And Body Satisfaction In Emerging Adult Women, Emilie Jill Davis
Mirror, Mirror On The Wall: An Experimental Study Examining The Relationship Between Music Lyrics And Body Satisfaction In Emerging Adult Women, Emilie Jill Davis
Theses and Dissertations
Over the past decade, there has been an increase in academic research on media and its influences on body satisfaction. To date, the majority of body image literature focuses on low body satisfaction. While low body satisfaction leads to negative outcomes, high body satisfaction leads to a host of positive outcomes. Further, in a non-academic domain, it would seem that even some media icons are starting to take part in the effort to try to promote positive appearance messages. Singers like Christina Aguilera, Colbie Caillat, and Alessia Cara have begun writing songs like Beautiful, Try, and Scars To …
Defining Success: The Perspective Of Emerging Adults With Foster Care Experience, Brianna Lynne Anderson
Defining Success: The Perspective Of Emerging Adults With Foster Care Experience, Brianna Lynne Anderson
Master's Theses
Youth with experience in the foster system are often more susceptible to negative outcomes in adulthood due to their high levels of cumulative risk. The present study sought out to re-define the concept of “success” from the perspective of emerging adults with experience in the foster care system and to identify patterns among the characteristics and behaviors of foster families that promote success as these young adults transition out of the foster care system and into adulthood. Participants most frequently defined “success” as achieving personal goals. Additionally, Support and Positive Identity were found to be the most influential Developmental Assets® …
How Do Boys And Girls Help? Validation Of A Multidimensional Measure Of Prosocial Behavior, Matthew Glade Nielson
How Do Boys And Girls Help? Validation Of A Multidimensional Measure Of Prosocial Behavior, Matthew Glade Nielson
Theses and Dissertations
The study of prosocial behavior is growing increasingly multidimensional in the way that it considers whom is helped and how. One area of concern is the effect of gender on prosocial behavior. Is masculine behavior more physically oriented, and if so, are measures neglecting these behaviors and biasing results toward more feminine prosocial behaviors? The current study sought to answer these questions by creating and validating a new multidimensional measure of prosocial behavior that includes behaviors more common to males. An EFA was performed on a sample of 463 adolescents and emerging adults from Amazon Turk (US citizens, 16-25, 60% …
Social Withdrawal And Internalizing Problems In Emerging Adulthood: Does Parenting Matter?, Stephanie Shea Luster
Social Withdrawal And Internalizing Problems In Emerging Adulthood: Does Parenting Matter?, Stephanie Shea Luster
Theses and Dissertations
The first purpose of this study was to investigate the direct effects of three subtypes of social withdrawal (shyness, social avoidance, and unsociability, respectively) on internalizing outcomes (depression, emotional dysregulation, and self-worth, respectively) in emerging adulthood and to examine these effects by gender. A second purpose was to examine if parenting moderates (i.e., exacerbates or buffers) the main effects of social withdrawal on internalizing outcomes. Participants included 790 undergraduate students from four universities in the United States (Mage = 19.61, SD = 1.85, range = 18–29; 243 males, 547 females) and their mothers. Regression analyses established that shyness was associated …
Hooking Up, Sexual Attitudes, And Parental Repartnering Choices: Variations At The Intersection Of Race And Gender, Nathaniel Aaron Stoddard
Hooking Up, Sexual Attitudes, And Parental Repartnering Choices: Variations At The Intersection Of Race And Gender, Nathaniel Aaron Stoddard
Theses and Dissertations
Using a subsample of emerging adults from the Stepfamily Experiences Project (n = 989), we examine how parents' repartnering choices (nonmarital and premarital cohabitation) influence their emerging adult children's commitment-related relationship attitudes (attitudes about sex in committed relationships) and behaviors (hooking up). We further examine these processes at the intersection of race and gender. In this way, we expand the current emerging adult literature by exploring two understudied populations: emerging adults who grew up in stepfamilies, and emerging adults from diverse racial backgrounds. We divided our sample by race (black, Latino, American Indian, white, and multiracial) and gender, resulting in …
Childhood Sexual Abuse And Identity Development: The Role Of Attachment And Self-Esteeem, Joel David Dukett
Childhood Sexual Abuse And Identity Development: The Role Of Attachment And Self-Esteeem, Joel David Dukett
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of the study was to examine how childhood sexual abuse (CSA) influences identity development along with attachment and self-esteem. The participants included 208 first-year female undergraduate students from Illinois State University. Students were afforded the opportunity to receive extra credit for their participation and could enter into a random prize drawing. Participants completed a demographics questionnaire, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, The Experiences in Close Relationships Questionnaire, Dimensions of Identity Development Scale, and the Hot Topics Questionnaire which assesses history of CSA. Of the participants, 145 (69.7%) were in the non-abuse group and 63 (30.3%) were in the abuse group. …
Associations Between Family And Interpersonal Processes And Emerging Adult Marital Paradigms: Does Adult Attachment Mediate?, Todd M. Jensen, Brian J. Willoughby, Thomas B. Holman, Dean M. Busby, Kevin Shafer
Associations Between Family And Interpersonal Processes And Emerging Adult Marital Paradigms: Does Adult Attachment Mediate?, Todd M. Jensen, Brian J. Willoughby, Thomas B. Holman, Dean M. Busby, Kevin Shafer
Faculty Publications
Current research on predictors of marital attitudes highlights the importance of family and interpersonal processes, yet fails to identify which factors are more important and whether there are mediators that help to conceptually simplify the process by which such attitudes are influenced. We examine the influence of family-of-origin quality and past romantic relationships on three specific marital paradigms, as well as the mediating role adult attachment may play in these associations. We used a sample of 1,210 single heterosexual males (23 %) and females (77 %), age 18–30 years, who took the READY assessment. Results indicated that family-of-origin quality, attachment …
Five Dimensions Of Emerging Adulthood: A Comparison Between Students, Nonstudents, And College Graduates, Jennifer Renée Zorotovich
Five Dimensions Of Emerging Adulthood: A Comparison Between Students, Nonstudents, And College Graduates, Jennifer Renée Zorotovich
Doctoral Dissertations
U.S. census data suggests that young people today are entering marriage (U. S. Census Bureau, 2011) and parenthood (U. S. Census Bureau, 2012) later than young people in previous decades. Delayed trajectories have led researchers to reconsider the nature of development from adolescence to adulthood and has given way to the construct of emerging adulthood (Arnett, 2000a). Although this construct has been largely embraced by contemporary scholars, questions remain about the universality of emerging adulthood and whether or not it accurately captures the experiences of young people who do not pursue postsecondary education as well as those who have transitioned …
Communication, Romantic Reconciliation, And Emerging Adulthood: A Relational Dialectics Study, Ashley M. Poole
Communication, Romantic Reconciliation, And Emerging Adulthood: A Relational Dialectics Study, Ashley M. Poole
Communication & Theatre Arts Theses
Building on the extant research of on-again/off-again (on-off) romantic relationships, the current thesis focused on building upon past findings by utilizing a unique theoretical methodology in an emerging demographic. A sample of 22 emergent adult (ages 18-29) participants who were currently in or had recently experienced an on-off relationship completed face-to-face interviews discussing communicative processes during romantic reconciliation. The primary purpose of this thesis was to identify and define discursive struggles found within on-off relationships during reconciliation attempts, and understand how they are used between partners to give meaning to the terms "on" and "off" as a precursor to restructuring …
Healthy Transitions To Family Formation, Erin Kramer Holmes, Geoffrey Brown, Kevin Shafer, Nate Stoddard
Healthy Transitions To Family Formation, Erin Kramer Holmes, Geoffrey Brown, Kevin Shafer, Nate Stoddard
Faculty Publications
Current demographic trends in the United States suggest that emerging adults delay marriage (Vespa, 2014), nonmarital cohabitation is the norm among this age group (National Marriage Project, 2012), and premarital sex—including noncommitted hooking up (Garcia, Reiber, Massey, & Merriwether, 2012)—is widely accepted (Pew Research Center, 2014). These trends collide with consistently high divorce rates (Amato, 2010; Cherlin, 2010), where up to one-third of emerging adults grow up in stepfamilies (Copen, Daniels, Vespa, & Mosher, 2012). Aside from high divorce rates, the United States is experiencing what some demogra- phers term “the great crossover,” whereby unmarried parenthood is overtaking married parenthood …
Allies Or Rivals? The Study Of Sibling Closeness In Young Adulthood, Jennifer Silvershein
Allies Or Rivals? The Study Of Sibling Closeness In Young Adulthood, Jennifer Silvershein
Honors Theses
This thesis explores closeness amongst sibling during their emerging adulthood focusing on the variations of sibling composition. Emerging adulthood (from the late teens to late 20s) is seen as an increasingly important stage of the lifecourse, but relatively little is known about the nature of sibling relationships at this age. A total of 54 young adults, 24 Union College students and their 30 siblings, completed surveys about their relationship with each other. In order to gain a full understanding of closeness siblings were asked questions focusing on similarities, intimacy, quarreling, affection, antagonism, admiration, emotional support, competition, instrumental support, dominance, acceptance, …
Gone But Not Forgetting: Examining The Differentiation Of Flourishing And Floundering In Emerging Adulthood In The Context Of Family Development, Shirene A. Urry
Gone But Not Forgetting: Examining The Differentiation Of Flourishing And Floundering In Emerging Adulthood In The Context Of Family Development, Shirene A. Urry
Theses and Dissertations
In emerging adulthood, distinctive groups have been found to exhibit "flourishing" (i.e., simultaneously experiencing positive, maturing relationships with parents, exploring identity in numerous positive areas, and striving to attain and subsequently achieving criteria deemed important for the successful transition to adulthood) and "floundering" (i.e., experiencing pitfalls such as heavy experimentation in the form of high levels of binge drinking and drug use, and instability reflected in high levels of depression and anxiety; Nelson & Padilla-Walker, 2011). While these groups have been found to differ with regards to factors of individual development, they had not been examined for variation with regards …
Sooner Or Later? Parents' Marital Horizons For Their Emerging Adult Children, Chad D. Olson
Sooner Or Later? Parents' Marital Horizons For Their Emerging Adult Children, Chad D. Olson
Theses and Dissertations
Researchers have studied emerging adults' attitudes regarding the three components of the marital horizon theory, namely their desired age for marriage, the importance they place on marriage, and the criteria they endorse as necessary before being marriage ready. Up to this point, no studies have looked at parents' marital horizons nor have comparisons been made with their emerging adult children. The goal of this study was to determine parents' views regarding the three components of the marital horizon theory. Using hierarchal linear modeling, parents' responses were compared with their emerging adult children regarding ideal timing of marriage, marital importance, and …
Parenting Practices In Emerging Adulthood: Development Of A New Measure, Melanie Easley Mckay
Parenting Practices In Emerging Adulthood: Development Of A New Measure, Melanie Easley Mckay
Theses and Dissertations
Given that more and more young people are living at home well into their twenties, and parents no longer see their children as adults until well into their mid to late twenties (Nelson, Walker, Carroll, Madsen, Barry, & Badger, 2006), parents may continue to "parent" for much longer than we have typically believed. Although parenting may still play an important role, little research has been done examining parenting in emerging adulthood, including its correlates and outcomes. As such, there is a need for a measure of parenting that is appropriate for use in emerging adulthood. The current study attempted to …