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We analyze the Online College Social Life Survey, a survey collected between 2005 and 2011 of students (N = 22,454) at 22 U.S. colleges and universities and estimate whether students hooked up, dated, formed long-term romantic relationships, or did not form relationships while in college and their desire for these relationship opportunities. Studen...
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Citations
... Hookups are commonly observed on residential college campuses (Padgett & Wade, 2019). The Online College Social Life Survey conducted from 2005 to 2016 showed at least 60% of participants had hookup experiences and around half had a romantic relationship during college (Kuperberg & Padgett, 2016). College students face various relationship opportunities as they meet people with similar characteristics on a daily basis, among which they can find potential dating or hookup partners. ...
... College students face various relationship opportunities as they meet people with similar characteristics on a daily basis, among which they can find potential dating or hookup partners. Fraternity and sorority organizations on campus further enable meeting potential partners by organizing parties and gatherings to encourage social networking (Kuperberg & Padgett, 2016). Hookups have become a prominent part of campus culture on many U.S. college campuses, serving as an alternative to romantic relationships for college students to explore their sexuality and self-identity (Padgett & Wade, 2019). ...
Love and romance significantly influence self-identity during emerging adulthood. While romantic relationships offer various benefits, many emerging adults, especially college students, often choose to engage in hookups. Specifically, female college students may face greater psychological and emotional harms following hookups. Overparenting might relate to college students' relationship choice, through hindering emerging adults' decision-making processes (sliding vs. deciding). This study investigated how overparenting across relational, academic, health, and financial domains relate to female college students' (N = 505; Mage = 19.84, SD = 1.21; 78.6% European American) involvement in romantic relationships and hookups, mediated by emotional and physical deciding. A path model revealed that relational overparenting was associated with a lower likelihood of involvement in romantic relationships through hindering emotional deciding. At a three-month follow-up (N = 265), results from a path model showed that relational overparenting was associated with more hookup partners through poorer physical deciding. Implications for practice are discussed.
... TEEN ROMANTIC DRAMA CONTENT ANALYSIS 4 Gender Differences in Romantic Beliefs and Behaviors. There are significant differences in young women's and men's typical romantic beliefs and behaviors, such as likelihood of engaging in hookups-sexual behavior that goes beyond kissing but may not involve penetrative sex-and long-term relationships-committed relationships with sexual encounters that can eventually lead to cohabitation or marriage (Kuperberg & Padgett, 2016). ...
... For example, men were more likely to hookup than women, but the effect size was small (Kuperberg & Padgett, 2016). Another study that analyzed sex differences in emotional reactions to hooking up in college found no significant differences in the number of hookup partners between men and women; however, men had more permissive attitudes towards sex and hookups (Townsend & Wasserman, 2011), whereas women were more likely to regret engaging in a hookup with vaginal intercourse (Uecker & Martinez, 2017) or sexual encounters in general (Webster et al., 2021). ...
... Expectations about virginity and prior sexual experience have also relaxed over time for men and women (Gesselman et al., 2016). These shifts in beliefs about the acceptability of premarital sexual relations are consistent with college students' current hookup behaviors, who now report having more hookup partners than dating partners (Kuperberg & Padgett, 2016). ...
A content analysis of teen romantic drama movies examined potential gender differences and changes in depictions of romance, hookups, and long-term relationships over time in the American teen romantic drama genre. The 41 highest-grossing teen romantic drama movies from 1961 to 2019 were coded for the number of romantic ideals and challenges to romantic ideals verbally expressed by the main love interests, the number of depicted hookups or long-term relationships involving the teen characters, and the type of endings (positive, negative, or unclear). In addition, the main characters’ age and gender were recorded and analyzed. The results showed no significant differences in any of the factors over time, which is inconsistent with generational changes in typical romantic and sexual beliefs and behaviors. Male main love interests expressed the most romantic ideal expressions, and high schoolers engaged in the most hookups. Female engagement in hookups significantly predicted negative endings in films, which reinforces the regret and shame that many young women feel after engaging in noncommitted sexual relations.
... In the U.S. one study found that 41.58% of college students reported at least one experience of romantic love (Jamison & Sanner, 2021). Additionally, findings from a study of 24,131 college students around the U.S. revealed that 51.26% of college students had experienced romantic love at least once in their lives (Kuperberg & Padgett, 2016). These studies also demonstrate how couples developed commitment over time. ...
... Hookups are sexual relations with another individual with no plans for a romantic or exclusive relationship (Hollis et al., 2022). Hookups are defined as "a casual sexual encounter between two individuals that occurs outside of a romantic relationship but that does not necessarily involve penetrative sex" (Kuperberg & Padgett, 2016, p. 1070. Using tenets of Sternberg's (1986) Triangular Theory of Love, passion is high, while intimacy and commitment are low, reflecting infatuation. ...
A romantic trajectory that has received little attention in the literature is “situationships,” which is a colloquial term used in some Western cultures to describe a complex relationship situation. According to Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love, experiences of companionate and/or consummate love are often preceded by romantic love. However, situationships may be experiences of romantic love, without increases in commitment. The goal of this study is to describe situationships using a mixed-methods, exploratory approach. The first phase of this study involved 28 participants in one-on-one, semi-structured Zoom interviews regarding their entire relationship history, and then identifying if any of these experiences were situationships. For the second phase, 261 participants completed an online survey regarding their three most recent relationship experiences. The goal of the first phase (qualitative analyses) was to define situationships and describe how these relationships were different from other relationships. The goal of the second phase (quantitative analyses) was to differentiate situationships from non-situationships using empirical data based on results from the first phase of the study. Using reflexive thematic analyses, situationships were defined as romantic relationships with no clarity or label, low levels of commitment, but similar romantic behaviors as established couples by means of affection and sexual behaviors and time spent together. Independent samples t-tests using Bonferroni corrections provided some support for the prescribed definition as there were significant differences regarding relationship quality and similarities regarding affectionate and sexual behaviors between situationships and non-situationships. These results reflect that people in a situationship are, for the most part, emotionally and sexually invested even if they are not in a fully committed relationship.
... We also know that SV often occurs outside of traditional dating or intimate partner relationships, and it is important to account for the 'hook up' culture that exists among HEI students and look at violence that occurs among strangers, peers, and within casual sexual encounters. Most young adults at HEIs have engaged in sexual acts with people they are not in a committed relationship with (Duval et al., 2018;Kuperberg & Padgett, 2016;Monto & Carey, 2014). Further, evidence suggests that these casual sexual encounters, or "hookups," are increasing at HEIs and that most committed romantic relationships at HEIs begin with a casual hookup (England et al., 2008;Lambert et al., 2003). ...
Sexual violence (SV) experienced by higher education students is a prevalent public health problem. Collecting data on SV through self-report surveys in higher education institutions (HEIs) is essential for estimating the scope of the problem, the first step to adequately resourcing and implementing prevention and response programming and policies. However, in the United Kingdom, data is limited. We used data from the cross-sectional Oxford Understanding Relationships, Sex, Power, Abuse and Consent Experiences survey, administered to all students at a university in the United Kingdom in May 2021 (n = 25,820), to estimate the past year prevalence of SV. We analyzed data from respondents who answered at least one question on SV (n = 1,318) and found that 20.5% of respondents experienced at least one act of attempted or forced sexual touching or rape, and 52.7% of respondents experienced at least one act of sexual harassment (SH). We found that women experienced the highest rates of SV. Attempted forced sexual touching was far more common than forced sexual touching, or rape. Sexist remarks or jokes were the most common act of SH. Most acts of SV took place at the university. These findings reveal that the prevalence of SV in HEIs in the United Kingdom could be far higher than what is experienced in the general population. While this study reflects the context in only one institution, it underlines the need for continued monitoring to develop rigorous, evidence-based, and targeted prevention and response strategies.
... If religious Black students are more likely to regularly attend Black churches or Black mosques, it may be that they are encouraged to date from their congregations or individuals with similar religious backgrounds. Research has shown that religious attendance provides a social network of people with similar values (Lim & Putnam, 2010) and impacts practices common among college students like "hooking up" (Kuperberg & Padgett, 2016). Therefore, the combined social segregation as a result of religiosity and racism certainly would limit the potential partner pools for Black students. ...
... Furthermore, having dated interracially as college students does not mean that these students will enter long-term interracial partnerships. Although the term dating is not often defined in survey research (see Kuperberg & Padgett, 2016, or Miller et al., 2022, future research can explore whether there is an association between racial identity and different forms of interracial dating, including the race of partner (not just that they were a different race than the participant), length of relationship, and current relationships. For example, dating interracially for students of color can mean both relationships with White students and relationships with other students of color from different racial or ethnic backgrounds. ...
Objective
This study explores the relationship between racial identity and interracial dating patterns.
Background
We draw on multiple literatures, including research on race and interracial dating, and the importance of racial identity on well‐being and mental health outcomes.
Method
Utilizing data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshmen we assess how dimensions of racial identity predict likelihood of interracial dating for Black, Asian, and Hispanic students enrolled at elite, predominantly White institutions of higher education.
Results
Multiple dimensions of racial identity predict whether Black or Asian students have dated interracially, and Hispanic students were more likely to have dated interracially than either Asian or Black students. School‐level characteristics, like the percentage of students who are White at each school, are the most consistent predictors of interracial dating patterns.
Conclusions
Our findings contribute to broader work on how interracial dating practices (in this case, specifically for college students of color) are influenced not just by the race and gender of the individuals but specifically the salience of their racial identity.
Implications
This study expands the potential research utility of racial identity measures and adds greater nuance to analyses of interracial relationships among emerging adults.
... Additionally, although we recruited college males to create dating profiles because of our interest in studying college females and the people they are most likely to date (Kuperberg & Padgett, 2016), the males we recruited did not report high levels of aggression or IPV perpetration history, a trend in the literature (Kolivas & Gross, 2007), reducing the range in the sample. In future work it may be worth increasing the sample of males in the hopes of increasing the variability in aggression/IPV perpetration scores or recruiting a noncollege student sample to increase the range, although this may not be as generalizable. ...
Purpose
This study examined whether female college students could accurately detect unknown male students’ propensity for aggression/intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration in romantic relationships after viewing their online dating profile, as well as whether individual differences in women’s IPV victimization history or attachment orientation predicted their accuracy.
Method
Heterosexual adult males (N = 9, Mage = 23.40), selected from a larger sample of N = 41 males, created de-identifiable dating profiles and reported on their history of aggression and IPV perpetration within relationships. Participants (N = 453 heterosexual adult females, Mage = 21.87) then viewed all 9 dating profiles and rated their perception of each male’s level of aggression/IPV perpetration risk (naïve to all other information about the person), as well as reported on their own individual characteristics (attachment, IPV victimization history).
Results
Female participants were able to discriminate between males at high/medium/low levels of aggression, but were only able to discriminate between males with high/low levels of IPV perpetration history. Attachment orientation predicted the magnitude of participants’ ratings of male aggression: Specifically, females higher in avoidance and lower in anxiety perceived males to be less aggressive. Additionally, participants’ attachment orientation was associated with their accuracy of identifying aggression, such that females higher in attachment anxiety and lower in avoidance were found to overestimate males’ aggression. Participants’ IPV victimization history was unrelated to their ratings of males’ aggression/IPV perpetration risk.
Conclusion
Attachment, but not IPV perpetration history, impacts females’ perceptions of propensity for IPV risk.
... Mating opportunities are also considered to be more numerous among these particular age groups in comparison to later stages in life, and women generally have a larger pool of potential partners at their disposal than men (Eckhard & Stauder, 2019). However central romantic relationships may be to adolescent and emerging adult development, opportunities to interact with potential romantic partners vary widely according to peer involvement (Cavanagh, 2007), cultural context (Tang & Zuo, 2000), racial background (Feliciano et al., 2009), and gender (Kuperberg & Padgett, 2016). Likewise, depending on sociocultural characteristics, there is substantial variation within these age groups in terms of expectations regarding the desired presence, timing, and nature of romantic relationships. ...
Despite the relevance of loneliness to family scholarship, an attempt to integrate various perspectives on loneliness with relevant insights from loneliness research for understanding contemporary families has not yet been made. Although quantitative researchers have developed measures that have been fruitful in broadening insights about loneliness, they have failed to grasp its multidimensional and dynamic nature. Due to a shift in emphasis from lived experiences to correlational variables, loneliness research has been confronted with two particular problems. First, endeavors to refine previous conceptualizations of loneliness have stagnated. Second, research questions are scattered across a variety of disciplines. This article provides an integrated multidisciplinary theory from which it becomes clear that a family focus is of great importance to all disciplines concerned with loneliness, because opportunities for social interaction, relational standards, and sources of loneliness depend on familial and developmental histories and the cultural orientation of the families in which individuals live.
... Throughout the university years, dating relationships are common and decisions that have potential for significant longterm impact are made (Arnett 2000, Scott et al. 2009, Chandra et al. 2011, Kuperberg and Padgett 2016. Recent trends, such as pervasive internet and social media use and changes in marriage choices, have contributed to an increased difficulty for emerging adults in successfully developing close relationships (Reed et al. 2002). ...
... In addition, how environments such as family relations and school environments can interact with these individual skills and characteristics can also be included in the programs at this level (Roberson et al. 2016, Shulman et al. 2019. At the macro-system level, it may be suggested to consider factors such as beliefs about romantic relationships, social norms, expectations of the culture and family system regarding the relationships of young people, and gender roles surrounding the culture in which young people live (Gala and Kapadia 2014, Mayseless and Keren 2014, Kuperberg and Padgett 2016. Thus, it will be possible to represent the autonomous-relational cultural elements that shape the meaning of close relationships in romantic relationship education. ...
Intimate relationships are the focal aspiration for human beings. Romantic relationship education is described as a road map for helping people to find strategies and solutions that fit their context, values and relationship goals. By using evidence-based skills training, people can learn techniques to navigate typical relationship challenges and safely express emotions. Being in a mutually satisfying committed relationship has proven to be associated with many positive outcomes including life satisfaction, physical well-being, better coping with major illness, as well as longer life expectancy and career achievement. Relationship education programs are developed by psychologists in Western countries as a preventive intervention for couples, adolescents and emerging adults before relationships reach crisis stage. There is, however, a lack of empirical studies to examine the effectiveness of relationship education within the Turkish cultural context. The overarching aim of this study is to review the relationship education programs within Turkish and international literature. This study provides an overview of the relationship education, and its scope, and theoretical foundations and also effectiveness of relationship education programs for couples, adolescents and emerging adults. The study further provides cultural, theoretical and practical recommendations for future directions in Turkish relationship education programs.
... To date, research on religion and sexual behavior has been mainly done in the context of risk behaviors among adolescents and unmarried young adults in the United States (Burdette et al., 2015). These studies emphasized the role of religion in promoting sexual abstinence and discouraging premarital sex; for example, higher religiosity has been found to be associated with delayed initiation of sexual intercourse (Bearman & Brückner, 2001;Meier, 2003), reduced likelihood of engaging in casual sex (Burdette et al., 2009;Kuperberg & Padgett, 2016), and having fewer sexual partners (Barkan, 2006). ...
... As previous studies have demonstrated, religiosity is associated with having less permissive attitudes toward extramarital sex, including the importance of sexual fidelity, and the view that sex should only occur when it is motivated by love or a wish to have children (Hardy & Willoughby, 2017;Iveniuk et al., 2016). Furthermore, religiously committed individuals show higher preference for marriage over other forms of relationships (Henderson et al., 2018;Lehrer, 2004), and are less likely to engage in sex outside a long-term committed relationship (Burdette et al., 2009;Kuperberg & Padgett, 2016). These relatively traditional approaches to romantic relationships and sexuality could therefore explain some of the differences found in sexual satisfaction by religiosity. ...
... Previous studies have shown that increased investments in exclusive long-term partnerships and greater time to develop satisfactory trusting relationships can matter for sexual satisfaction, while sex outside a committed relationship is often related to lower sexual satisfaction (Farvid & Braun, 2017;Waite & Joyner, 2001). As religious individuals are less likely to engage in casual sex (Burdette et al., 2009;Kuperberg & Padgett, 2016), and are more likely to limit sexual activity to a relationship based on love (Hardy & Willoughby, 2017;Iveniuk et al., 2016), this can lead to lower expectations of sexual activity outside a formal union, as well as increased satisfaction from sex life in general. ...
Previous studies on the relationship between religiosity and sexual behavior have yielded mixed results, partly due to variations by gender and marital status. Furthermore, less is known about this relationship in relatively secularized societies, as in the case of Britain. In this study, we used data from the third British National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-3) to explore the link between religiosity (11% of men and 16% of women stated that religion and religious beliefs were very important to them) and sex frequency and satisfaction among men and women in different types of relationships. Women and men who saw religion as more important in their lives reported having less sex on average, though this was mainly driven by the significantly lower sex frequency among non-cohabiting religious individuals compared to their less religious peers. At the same time, religiosity was linked with overall higher levels of sex life satisfaction. This relationship appeared to be largely mediated by attitudes on the appropriate context for sexual intercourse. These findings highlight the importance of sociocultural norms in shaping sexual behavior and sexual satisfaction.
... While research on the exosystem and macrosystem levels is limited in number, they showed how attending to religious, cultural, and campus organizations are associated with selection into hookups, dates, and long-term romantic relationships (e.g., Kuperberg & Padgett, 2016), how EAs from an economically less-developed society tend to prefer long-term romantic relationships (Facio & Resett, 2014), and how EAs from a collectivistic society view the ultimate goal of romantic relationships as establishing a long-term relationship culminating into marriage (Gala & Kapadia, 2014). While not particularly focused on romantic relationship experiences, these studies informed us to further explore young people's normative romantic experiences with a cultural lens. ...
... While not particularly focused on romantic relationship experiences, these studies informed us to further explore young people's normative romantic experiences with a cultural lens. According to Kuperberg and Padgett (2016), social and cultural norms about romantic relationships shape EAs' expectations, values, and understanding of romantic relations and guide their behaviors. For example, in collectivistic cultures, young people's autonomy in romantic relations is restricted (Mayseless & Keren, 2014), and family is more involved in their romantic relations (Karandashevi, 2015). ...
For the current study, a grounded theory methodology was utilized to generate a substantive theory that illustrates Turkish emerging adults’ different romantic experiences. The study participants were 25 emerging adults (12 female, 13 male), ages ranging from 19 to 26 years. The data analysis revealed four romantic patterns namely, balanced intimacy, learning intimacy, high-dependent intimacy, and lack of intimacy. The findings of the current study contribute to research on romantic relationship models by suggesting that the romantic self-descriptions, connection with the family and the culture, and meaning of past romantic experiences conjointly generate the four different romantic patterns among emerging adults. Furthermore, results suggest that Turkish emerging adults’ romantic experiences show many developmental similarities with their western counterparts while maintaining unique cultural characteristics.
