Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Bridges And Barriers: Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Emerging Adults' Views On Integrating Their Sexual And Religious Identities, Rémy Roe

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The existing literature highlights sexual and religious identity integration as a significant mediating factor in the relationship between religion and spirituality (R/S), and the LGBTQ population. This study explores outcomes associated with the integration of sexual and religious identities in a religiously diverse sample of seven lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) emerging adults ages 18-25. The sample included participants identifying with Buddhism (2), Christianity (2), Islam (1), Judaism (1), and Hinduism (1). Semi-structured interviews with participants identified eight key themes across their experiences: identity narratives, emerging adulthood exploration, interconnectedness of identities, evolving perspectives, social and cultural barriers, personal growth and …

The Impact Of Social Media On Emerging Adults' Psychological Well-Being: Spirituality As A Protective Factor, Lori Dewald

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Approximately 70% of emerging adults, individuals ages 18-29 years, report using social media daily. Emerging adulthood is a time of role transition and exploration; therefore, it is important to understand the role social media has on this population. Social media use in young adults has shown mixed results. The inconsistencies of the research center on the content of social media use and the impact it has on well-being. When social media is used to build relationships and increase social support increased well-being was noted. Conversely, when social media use resulted in social comparisons and negative feedback decreased well-being was reported. …

Development, Line By Line: An Introspective Case Study On Narrative Identity And Development Through Poetry, Milla Miller

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Situated at the intersection of creative writing and psychology, this project analyzes the author’s adolescent poetry alongside her current work to explore psychosocial and narrative identity development. Specifically, the work contrasts poems written about developmental stages in process with those written in reflection of previous stages in order to reveal how the understanding of self evolves. In addition to the complexities revealed by these temporal differences, structural elements unique to the poems provide further levels of understanding: choice of form and figurative dexterity show cognitive and narrative advancement; themes reveal psychosocial conflicts; and repetition across a poetic lifespan identifies the …

The Relationship Between Dimensions Of Emerging Adulthood And Behavioral Problems Among Chinese Emerging Adults: The Mediating Role Of Physical Activity And Self-Control, Jin Kuang, Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Erle Chen, Zsolt Demetrovics, Fabian Herold, Rebecca Y.M. Cheung, Daniel L. Hall, Michaela Markwart, Markus Gerber, Sebastian Ludyga, Arthur F. Kramer, Liye Zou

Psychology

Emerging adulthood (EA) is a critical stage of life to develop and sustain a healthy lifestyle, which is also a time of vulnerability to poor physical and mental health outcomes. In this study, we conducted a path analysis (N = 1326) to examine associations among four dimensions of EA, levels of regular physical activity (PA), self-control, MPA tendency and irrational procrastination. Results found: 1) higher levels of PA predicted both MPA tendency (β = −0.08, 95% CI: −0.11 to −0.06, p < 0.001) and irrational procrastination (β = −0.01, 95% CI: −0.17 to −0.008, p < 0.01) indirectly via self-control; 2) Instability (β = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.08 to 0.18, p < 0.01) and Responsibility (β = −0.06, 95% CI: −0.10 to −0.08, p = 0.03) exerted direct effects on irrational procrastination and Instability also indirectly predicted irrational procrastination via MPA tendency (β = 0.03, 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.05, p < 0.01). These findings proved that perceived features of EA are linked to behavioral problems and supported that regular PA plays a crucial role to protect mental health. © 2023, Tech Science Press. All rights reserved.

College Students And Cyberbullying: How Social Media Use Affects Social Anxiety And Social Comparison, Travis N. Lam, D. Brayden Jensen, Joseph D. Hovey, Michelle E. Roley-Roberts

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cyberbullying is defined as aggression intending to inflict harm on others by electronic communication technologies. Cyberbullying has become more common as social media has grown and is accompanied by negative mental health consequences. Research on cyberbullying and mental health in adolescents suggests cyberbullying victimization moderates the relationship between social comparison and social anxiety, but little is known about this phenomenon in college students. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore the relationship between cyberbullying, social anxiety, and social comparison amongst college students. A convenience sample of 486 undergraduate students from southern Texas and northern Ohio completed a PyschData …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Formation And Change In Attachment To God, Virginia Watson Cashion

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study consisted of a phenomenological exploration of the lived experience of individuals who identify as Christians, examined within the context of attachment to God. Eleven Ph.D. students enrolled in an online program at an evangelical institution in the southeastern United States were interviewed. The interviews were conducted online, recorded (audio and video), and transcribed within the MS Teams app. Data was analyzed, codes were established, and themes were identified. Analysis revealed that while one’s relationship with God was meaningful and secure, all indicated the presence of seeking (greater connection to God) language. Second, attachment terms were often used to …

Feelings Are Hard: The Influence Of Parent Emotion Socialization, The Social Sharing Of Emotions, And Emotion Regulation Strategies On Peer Relationship Quality, Jacey Moriguchi

Psychology Honors Projects

Emerging adulthood (ages 18 to 29, typically in western cultures) is a period of high emotional volatility and shifts in peer relationships; therefore, the link between emotion regulation strategies (reappraisal, distraction, rumination, and suppression) and peer relationship quality must be examined. Furthermore, previous literature has found that supportive parent emotion socialization is related to healthier emotion regulation strategies in children. Study 1 found that reappraisal mediated the relationship between supportive parent emotion socialization and communication, suggesting that supportive parent emotion socialization teaches children to use reappraisal more, which aids in communication. Due to the link between emotion regulation and communication …

Youth Leadership Through Adventure: Alums' Perspectives On The Experience Of Leadership, Raynalde Schagen

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

In this study, I examined the perspectives that emerging adult alums of a program called Youth Leadership Through Adventure (YLTA) have of their adolescent experiences of being a leader. Eight YLTA alums engaged in semi-structured interviews focusing on the research questions: What are the lived experiences of leadership in emerging adult alums of YLTA? What factors of their adolescent involvement were most influential in their emerging adult lives? As a youth development program, YLTA is supported by Adapt and the North Country Health Consortium (NCHC), two nonprofit organizations devoted to improving health conditions and habits of individuals residing in the …

Exploring The Potential Of Online Education And College Students' Connection To Nature, Michael Weinstein

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

There is limited research examining the efficacy of online delivery for experiential, field-based, interdisciplinary coursework in environmental education geared towards undergraduate students, and how connection to nature can be understood through the theory of emerging adulthood. This research employed a convergent mixed methods approach to explore the experiences of 11 undergraduate students enrolled in an online, introductory ecology course, and how their experience of connection to nature was influenced through the course, technology-mediated nature embedded within the course, and how their identities as emerging adults were impacted by their connection to nature. Quantitative methods employed included pre/post surveys, while qualitative …

Military Service And Offending Behaviors Of Emerging Adults: A Conceptual Review, Christopher Salvatore, Travis A. Taniguchi

Department of Counseling Scholarship and Creative Works

Focusing on the United States, this paper examines the impact of military service for the cohort of individuals that have experienced the social factors that characterize emerging adulthood as a unique stage in the life course. We argue that military service, as a turning point, may act differently in contemporary times compared to findings from past research. This difference is driven by changes in military service, the draft versus volunteer military service, and the prevalence of emerging adulthood. As a background, we describe emerging adulthood, examine how emerging adulthood relates to crime and deviance, explore the impact of military life …

Examining Criteria For Adulthood Among Young People In Sabah (East Malaysia), Walton Wider, Norazah Mohd Suki, Melanie L. Lott, Larry J. Nelson, Sew Kim Low, Gertrude Cosmas

Faculty Publications

This study aims to identify perceived adult status and to explore the criteria for adulthood of young people in Sabah (East Malaysia). The differences in such criteria based on gender and student status are also examined. Data collected from 208 respondents were analyzed via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The empirical results of CFA revealed six criteria for adulthood: family capacities, norm compliance, interdependence, biological transitions, role transitions, and chronological transitions. However, the independence factor was discarded for further analysis because of having weak item loadings. In addition, the ANOVA test showed that women have …

The Double Burden Of Racial Discrimination In Daily-Life Moments: Increases In Negative Emotions And Depletion Of Psychosocial Resources Among Emerging Adult African Americans, Nataria T. Joseph, Laurel M. Peterson, Heather Gordon, Thomas W. Kamarck

Psychology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Objective: Racial discrimination is a common experience for African Americans, but no research has examined how discrimination reported in daily-life moments influences concurrent negative emotions and psychosocial resources. Method: Emerging adult African Americans (N = 54) reported hourly on momentary racial discrimination, negative emotions, and psychosocial resources across two days. Results: Controlling for past discrimination and trait emotion, momentary racial discrimination was associated with greater negative emotions and lower psychosocial resources (ps < .05). The relationship between momentary racial discrimination and negative emotions was stronger among individuals residing in areas with fewer African Americans (simple slope p < .0001). The relationship between momentary racial discrimination and psychosocial resources was stronger among individuals reporting greater past discrimination (simple slope p < .0001). Vicarious discrimination (exposure to discrimination experienced by another person) was associated with higher negative emotions, p < .01, but not with psychosocial resources. Conclusion: These results are the first to demonstrate that personal and vicarious racial discrimination are associated with negative emotions and lower coping resources …

The Role Of Faculty In Fostering Psychosocial Wellbeing Among University Students, Kelley Wick

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The transition to college represents a major life event, and successfully navigating this shift has implications for students’ psychosocial wellbeing. While there is ample support for the idea that social relationships can facilitate student wellbeing during the transition to college, there is limited understanding of the unique role faculty may play in supporting students. The aim of this study was to determine the relation of faculty support to student wellbeing and self-efficacy, independent of peer support and student level of stress. Additionally, the primary questions were to examine whether self-efficacy mediated the relation of faculty support to student wellbeing, and …

“Is My Package Big Enough?”: Emerging Asian-American Men And Masculinity, Corinne Tam

SURF Posters and Papers

As many young adults now encounter “emerging adulthood,” a critical period of identity formation (Arnett 2000), the models of masculinity that men use to guide their transition into manhood during this life stage have yet to be investigated. Connell (2000) illustrates a “flexible, calculative, egocentric” masculinity as hegemonic today; however, as intersectional theory indicates, the means to achieving dominant cultural models are complicated by the relation between our diversity of identities and accessibility to resources (Crenshaw 1990). Stereotypes of Asian men being especially feminine reveal the unique position they hold to hegemonic masculinity. This research project asks, How do emerging …

The Relationship Between Sexual Orientation Outness, Heterosexism, Emotion Dysregulation, And Alcohol Use Among Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Emerging Adults, Lillianne Villarreal, Ruby Charak, Rachel M. Schmitz, Claire Hsieh, Julian D. Ford

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Introduction

Research demonstrates that both proximal personal characteristics (e.g., outness, emotion dysregulation) and distal stressors (e.g., heterosexism) may be associated with harmful alcohol use among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals. No study has systematically examined the factors linking LGB identity outness to harmful alcohol use. The current cross-sectional study bridges this gap by testing a sequential mediation model wherein heterosexist experiences (HE) and emotion dysregulation (ER) were hypothesized to mediate the relationship between outness and alcohol use.

Method

Participants were 264 LGB emerging adults in the age range of 18-29 years (M/SD = 25.46/2.74; 16.7% lesbian, 23.1% gay, …

Longitudinal Predictors Of Helicopter Parenting In Emerging Adulthood, Laura M. Padilla-Walker, Larry J. Nelson, Ryan D. Mclean

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this exploratory longitudinal study was to examine stability and change of helicopter parenting throughout the first few years of emerging adulthood and to examine child and parent–child relational factors that might predict helicopter parenting. Participants included 453 emerging adults from a northwestern city in the United States (51% female, 33% single-parent families) who participated in a 10-year longitudinal study, with the current study examining ages 19–21. Results revealed that (a) for both mothers and fathers, helicopter parenting decreased over time, (b) some child and relational factors predicted initial levels of helicopter parenting, but (c) the findings were …

Parental Nurturance In Childhood And Adolescence Correlated To Anxiety In College Students, Julianne R. Urban

Senior Honors Theses

Parental nurturance is important for individuals in childhood, adolescence, and emerging adulthood. In general, high levels of parental nurturance helps individuals to be well-adjusted. However, anxiety disorders are prevalent among emerging adults, so the present study investigated a potential correlation between parental nurturance and college student anxiety. Participants consisted of undergraduate students who were at least 18 years old and enrolled in at least one psychology course. They were asked to complete the Parental Nurturance Scale and Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale. The results indicated a significant negative correlation between the two variables. Specifically, increases in parental nurturance were …

Self-Continuity Moderates The Association Between Sexual-Minority Status Based Discrimination And Depressive Symptoms, Holly E. Recchia, Jonathan Santo, Alexa Martin-Storey

Psychology Faculty Publications

Self-continuity, or how an individual understands their sense of self as persisting from past to present and present to future, is an important aspect of the self-concept that is linked to mental health outcomes. This self-concept construct may be particularly pertinent for sexual minority populations, as living in a heterosexist environment may prove detrimental for the development of self-continuity. The current study examined self-continuity among sexual minority and heterosexual community college and university students (N = 292). Compared to their heterosexual peers, sexual minority participants reported lower levels of self-continuity. Self-continuity moderated the associations between victimization due to gender nonconformity …

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 …

Making Space For The Adolescent Unconscious: A Case-Based Reflection On Practice, Donna M. San Antonio Dr., Nathan Gorelick

Faculty Scholarship

Community-based psychotherapists and school counsellors work to assist adolescents through sharing resources, building awareness of cognition and behavior, and skill development in communicative competence. However, adolescents, eager to delve deeper into the unknown territory of their being, also present us with speech and acts coming from the unconscious, in the form of metaphors, forgetting, behavioral excesses, mishaps, and physical symptoms. As adolescents search for ways to manage childhood trauma, find meaning and purpose in their lives, and clarify an aspirational direction that makes sense to them, they rarely have opportunities to work at a deeper level. In this article, psychoanalytically …

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 …

Associations Between Perceptions About Siblings' Development And Emerging Adults' Adulthood Attainment, Jenna R. Cassinat, Shawn D. Whiteman, Alexander C. Jensen

Human Development and Family Studies Faculty Publications

Siblings shape each other's attitudes and behaviors during childhood and adolescence; however, it is less clear if siblings continue to influence each other in emerging adulthood. This study investigated the extent to which emerging adults modeled their siblings in domains of adulthood attainment. Participants included 1,750 emerging adults from the United States between the ages of 18 and 29 years. Data were collected via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Findings showed that perceptions of siblings' adulthood attainment were positively related to emerging adults' development in those same domains. Moreover, the extent to which emerging adults modeled their siblings enhanced these associations; neither …

Somebody To Lean On: The Moderating Effect Of Relationships On Links Between Social Withdrawal And Self-Worth, Brandon N. Clifford, Larry J. Nelson

Faculty Publications

Previous research has discovered different subtypes of social withdrawal based on motivations to approach or avoid social interactions. Each of these motivations are uniquely related to indices of maladjustment during emerging adulthood, including aspects of the self. However, research has yet to investigate whether or not relationship quality moderates these associations. The purpose of this study was to examine whether relationship quality with best friends, romantic partners, mothers, and fathers, respectively, serve as protective factors in the negative links between shyness and avoidance and self-worth. The participants included 519 college students (Mage = 19.87, SD= 1.99, 61% female) from four …

Profiles Of Religiousness, Spirituality, And Psychological Adjustment In Emerging Adults, Carolyn Mcnamara Barry, Jennifer L. Christofferson, Eric P. Boorman, Larry J. Nelson

Faculty Publications

Although emerging adults are engaged in heightened levels of meaning-making (Barry and Abo-Zena (eds) in Emerging adults’ religiousness and spirituality: meaning-making in an age of transition. Oxford University Press, New York, 2014), research has focused on either religiousness or spirituality (R/S) in each study. While R/S individually have been associated with emerging adults’ psychological adjustment (Rew and Wong in J Adolesc Health 38:433–442, 2006), scholars have rarely explored the specific profiles of R/S adjustment. Thus, a diverse group of undergraduate students (N = 792; Mage = 19.61, SD= 1.86; 69% women) completed questionnaires online involving these constructs. Preliminary …

Is Breaking Up Hard To Do? Exploring Emerging Adults’ Beliefs About Their Abilities To End Romantic Relationships, Tyler B. Jamison Phd, Jonathon J. Beckmeyer Phd

Faculty Publications

Objective: We explored emerging adults’ beliefs about their ability to end romantic relationships (i.e., breakup beliefs) and identified demographic, personality, and romantic experience factors associated with breakup beliefs.

Background: Emerging adulthood typically involves forming and dissolving multiple romantic unions. Thus, ending relationships is a key component of emerging adult romantic development.

Method: 948 emerging adults, recruited from Qualtrics Panel Services, participated in a cross-sectional study of romantic experiences and health outcomes.

Results: Most participants perceive they are able to carry out breakup related tasks. Most participants reported knowing when to break up, being able to do so appropriately, being able …

Investigating Variation And Strength In Social Networks, Timothy D. Immelman, Richard M. Wielkiewicz

Psychology Faculty Publications

Participants were 318 college students from two small, Catholic liberal arts institutions in the Upper Midwest. Variation (i.e., having friends with varied interests and activities) of an individual’s social network was measured by a researcher-developed inventory, the Social Network Variation Scale (SNVS). Social network strength was measured by the researcher-developed Social Network Strength Scale (SNSS). People with more variation or more strength in their social network had higher levels of happiness and lower levels of stress. Autonomy mediated the relationships between variation and stress and strength and stress. Personality moderated the relationships between variation and happiness and variation and stress.

Emerging Adults’ Experiences Of Agency In Higher Education Decisions, Leah B. Benjamin

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Over the past several decades, there has been a cultural shift impacting the experience of individuals in their late-teens to mid-20s in the United States. These individuals undergo a time of “cultural limbo,” during which the lines between adolescence and adulthood are blurred. The term emerging adulthood describes this distinct developmental period, which fits within the context of Erikson’s preexisting stages of psychosocial development (Arnett, 2014). A challenge for emerging adults is coming to terms with some of their more adult-like responsibilities in life. This requires making complex decisions that will impact their lives for many years to come, such …

Parental Involvement Among Collegiate Student-Athletes: An Analysis Across Ncaa Divisions, Katie Lowe, Travis E. Dorsch, Miranda P. Kaye, Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Logan Lyons, Amanda N. Faherty, Lindsey Menendez

Human Development and Family Studies Faculty Publications

Despite emerging evidence of a link between parental involvement and student-athletes’ (SA) experiences, and the desire for educational programming for parents of these SAs, previous research has been limited to the Division I level. This has prevented the ability to inform, develop, and deliver parent programming across the NCAA’s diverse membership. The present study was designed to descriptively assess SA reports of parental involvement (i.e., support, contact, academic engagement, athletic engagement) across NCAA Division I, II, and III member institutions and examine the potential impact of this involvement on SAs’ experiences (i.e., academic self-efficacy, athletic satisfaction, well-being, individuation). Participants were …

Moving Toward And Away From Others: Social Orientations In Emerging Adulthood, Nathan A. Jorgensen, Larry J. Nelson

Faculty Publications

As emerging adults navigate numerous changes to their relationships, the ways in which they connect with and move away from others, or how they are socially oriented, may play an important role in their relational and individual well-being. The current study explored holistic types of social orientations (i.e., social motivations, the self in relation to others, other-directed emotions, and actual behaviors) and how they relate to the quality of close relationships, depression, and substance use in a sample of 787 US emerging adult college students. Results from latent profile analysissuggested five types of social orientations, each showing a distinct pattern …

Birds Of A Feather? Friendship Utilization By Sexual Minority Students During The Transition To College, Jessica Morrow

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Friendship is important for individuals at any point in their lives, but takes on a new role during emerging adulthood as individuals make the transition into adult roles and responsibilities (Arnett 2000, 2006). Potentially even more significant is the importance of friendship to sexual minority young adults who are also forming their identities at this stage (Brandon-Friedman and Kim 2016). Since the transition to college takes place during emerging adulthood, it is important to examine how sexual minority young adults utilize their friendships with other sexual minorities as well as heterosexual peers to navigate this transition. Drawing on in-depth interviews …