Browsing by Subject "Emerging adulthood"
Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
- Results Per Page
- Sort Options
Item Alcohol-induced blackouts : lessons learned from examining three risk factors(2018-10-09) Marino, Elise Nicole; Fromme, Kim; Harden, Kathryn; Haley, Andreana; Erickson, CarltonAlcohol-induced blackouts, one neurobiological consequence of alcohol use, are periods of amnesia for all or part of a drinking event. Risk factors for blackouts include a family history of problematic alcohol use (FH+), early onset of drinking, and subjective responses to alcohol. The objective of this project was to examine how these factors confer risk for blackouts, as well as to what extent blackouts predict a motivation to decrease drinking. Participants were from a 6-year, longitudinal study of first time college students. Self-reported frequency of blackouts, motivation to change drinking behavior, indices of alcohol consumption, and subjective intoxication (i.e., feeling drunk) were assessed annually during Years 4-6. Age at drinking onset (i.e., age at first drink, first high, and first drunk) was assessed at Year 4. FH+, captured at baseline, was coded if participants self-reported that their mother, father, or any of their four grandparents were a possible or definite problem drinker. Overall, 52% to 69% of participants reported experiencing blackouts during Years 4-6. With respect to FH+, women were more likely to report blackouts than men; however, compared with women with a maternal FH+, men with a maternal FH+ were more than twice as likely to report blackouts. Additionally, after controlling for year specific binge drinking, a growth curve model indicated that early onset drinkers reported more frequent blackouts at Year 4. There were, however, no significant effects of acceleration or deceleration in the frequency of blackouts across the three years. Early onset drinkers continued to experience more frequent blackouts compared with those who initiated alcohol use later, despite decreases in binge drinking over time. Finally, in a cross-lagged model, subjective intoxication (i.e., feeling drunk) prospectively predicted experiencing blackouts. Controlling for both objective (e.g., quantity) and subjective intoxication, blackouts at Year 4 predicted greater motivation to change drinking behavior at Year 5, but this motivation did not predict less quantity of alcohol use by Year 6. Altogether, early onset drinking, maternal FH+, and subjective intoxication are robust predictors of blackouts. The underlying mechanisms behind these markers of risk involve both environmental and genetic factors, which likely operate together.Item Effects of parent–child intergenerational cultural discrepancies on Korean-American young adults’ psychological well-being, through communication quality, mattering, and autonomy support(2021-05-07) Lee, Yookyung, Ph.D.; Suizzo, Marie-Anne; Falbo, Toni; Schallert, Diane; Keating, Xiaofen; Carlson, CindyKorean-Americans are one of the fastest-growing racial subgroups, representing 0.4% of the total population of the U.S. as of 2019. Many Korean-American immigrant families consist of Korea-raised parents and their 1.5- or second-generation children. Because these families experience both mainstream and heritage cultures, cultural discrepancies may arise between the children and their immigrant parents. The main purpose of this study is to examine the mediating effects of parent–child communication quality, mattering to parents, and parental autonomy support on the relationship between intergenerational cultural discrepancies and psychological well-being, among Korean-American young adults. Participants were recruited through Korean-American communities in the U.S. and participated in this study through an online survey and follow-up one-on-one video interviews. A total of 161 Korean-American young adults between age 18 and 34 (M age = 23.14) were included in the final sample for the survey study, and 10 of the 161 also participated in the follow-up interview study. A mixed methods approach, including several mediation models and interview analysis, was used to test the hypotheses of this study. Key results from the quantitative analyses showed that greater parent–child intergenerational cultural discrepancies affected their lower communication quality, and this lower communication quality subsequently affected lower mattering to parents, but this lower mattering did not affected children’s depressive symptoms (Model 1). Also, greater parent–child intergenerational cultural discrepancies affected both lower parent–child communication quality and less parental autonomy support at the same time, which in turn affected lower levels of young adults’ life satisfaction (Model 2). The qualitative results provide a rich description of specific examples of these effects and possible reasons for the quantitative results. In addition, the participants shared messages to their parents during their adolescence as well as advice for current Korean-American adolescents who may face similar experiences. The results of this study support and extend the findings of previous work linking parent–child intergenerational cultural discrepancies to children’s psychological adjustment in immigrant families, as well as those linking parent–child communication, mattering to parents, and parental autonomy support. Future studies could investigate whether these relationships are different between mother–child and father–child dyads, and whether these results have any Korean-specific characteristics, by comparing them with results from young adults in other ethnic groups.Item Family size and religiosity in adolescence and emerging adulthood(2011-05) McClendon, David Michael; Regnerus, Mark; Woodberry, Robert D.Religion’s influence on fertility behavior has long been discussed. This paper examines the consequences of family size for the intergenerational transmission of religiosity. Using the first and third waves of the National Study of Youth and Religion, I find that family size is a positive predictor of religious salience and service attendance, particularly in emerging adulthood. While parents remain strong influences on both family size and their children’s religiosity, family size appears to provide additional support to religious commitments in emerging adulthood by fostering a more conservative orientation towards family formation. This study adds nuance to our understanding of the dynamics of religiosity in emerging adulthood and provides new evidence of the close connection between religion, family, and fertility.Item Genetic risk for schizophrenia influences substance use in emerging adulthood : an event-level polygenic prediction model(2017-12-19) Mallard, Travis Triplett; Fromme, KimBackground: Emerging adulthood is a peak period of risk for alcohol and illicit drug use, as well as psychiatric disorders. Recent advances in statistical genetics suggest that the co-occurrence of these phenomena is due, in part, to a shared genetic etiology. Here, we examined how genetic risk for schizophrenia influenced trajectories of five substance use behaviors as they occurred in daily life across emerging adulthood. Method: Non-Hispanic European participants provided DNA samples and completed daily reports of alcohol and drug use for one month per year across four years (N=28,372 unique observations of N=318 participants). A two-level hierarchical linear model was then used to analyze the relationships between genetic risk for schizophrenia, participant age, and the five substance use phenotypes. Results: The present study yields two major insights. First, results indicated that genetic risk for schizophrenia predicted emerging adults’ overall likelihood to engage in illicit drug use and polysubstance use (concurrent illicit drug use and alcohol use or binge drinking), but did not predict alcohol use-only phenotypes. Second, the present findings indicated that genetic variants related to schizophrenia predicted the rate of age-related change in substance use. Conclusions: The present study used a novel combination of polygenic prediction and repeated phenotyping to characterize the influence of genetic risk for schizophrenia on patterns of age-related change in substance use across emerging adulthood. Results suggest that genes implicated in schizophrenia exert both broad and developmentally-specific influences on substance use behaviors in healthy individuals.Item How grown-ups are born : the emerging-adult genre and American film and television(2017-08) Rennett, Michael David; Staiger, Janet; Schatz, Thomas, 1948-; Kearney, Mary C; Beltran, Mary; Mickenberg, JuliaThis dissertation explores the representation of emerging adulthood in both films and television series. Recent research in the fields of sociology and psychology has advocated the development of a new life stage for twenty- and thirtysomethings that is in between adolescence and adulthood. During this age range, young Americans receive education and training for the jobs that will last the rest of their adult work lives and explore difference possibilities in love, work, education, and worldviews. While sociological research currently exists on the actual lives of emerging adults, little work has been done on its representation in the media. This dissertation aims to fill this gap in the discourse by analyzing emerging adulthood as its own genre that represents this new life stage in both films and television programs. While I use Jeffrey Jensen Arnett’s sociological definitions of emerging adulthood to initiate my study, I analyze fictional narratives to illuminate what I have discovered to be at least 300 texts produced since the 1960s that circle around characters and plot points about transitioning into adulthood. To analyze the emerging-adult genre, I utilize the five different ways in which aspects of a person’s identity have been discussed as film and television genres: character representations; descriptions of semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic elements; historical periods; audience demographics; and authorship. Chapter One focuses on how the sociocultural elements represented in emerging adulthood (love and emotional partnerships, securing financial and residential independence, and finding a financially stable and personally rewarding career) are represented in media texts. Chapters Two and Three are dedicated to analyzing emerging-adult narratives, but Chapter Two focuses on film while Chapter Three focuses on television. I divide the narrative structure into two chapters due to the industrial and narrational effects upon each form of storytelling. Chapter Four concentrates on the historical roots of and changes in the emerging-adult genre to address the pragmatic approach found in Rick Altman’s genre theory. For this chapter, I divide this genre into three generation-based periods: Baby Boomers, Generation-X, and Millennials. The conclusion summarizes my findings and addresses areas of potential media studies research for this genre.Item Obesity and substance use : does higher BMI increase risk?(2011-08) Lang, Whitney Jaye; Pasch, Keryn E.; Loukas, AlexandraEmerging adulthood is a time of significant change where behaviors are adopted that can have significant long term effects on health. The most dramatic increases in weight are occurring among emerging adults, especially those with some college education. Emerging adults are also at an increased risk for substance use and abuse. The current study examined the relationship between BMI and substance use among college students. Participants included 703 undergraduate students at a large public U.S. university (M age=20.6, 58.7% Non-Hispanic White, 59.8% female). Students completed an online survey with items on substance use behaviors such as smoking, alcohol use, marijuana use, and binge drinking. Tobacco, alcohol, marijuana use, and binge drinking were assessed with one question asking students how many days over the past month they had used the specific substance (range 0-30 days). Binge drinking was assessed using one question: “Over the last two weeks, how many times have you had five or more drinks of alcohol at a sitting?” Responses ranged from 0 to 10 or more times. Substance use behaviors were coded to no use/any use in the past month. Body mass index was calculated through the student’s self reported height and weight. BMI was significantly related to past month tobacco use with an odds ratio of 1.06 (95% CI: 1.01-1.12). Specifically, with every one unit increase in BMI, the odds of past month tobacco use increased by 6%. However, BMI was not significantly associated with past month alcohol use, marijuana use, or binge drinking (p>.05). As BMI increases, college students’ odds of using tobacco increase. This finding is particularly problematic given that weight gain is common among undergraduate students and cigarette use has been cited as a common weight management practice among this group as well. Future research should consider the role of BMI as a factor in decreasing tobacco use.Item Spiritual modeling, faith-identity and risk behaviors : an investigation of emerging adults' faith-identity development in college(2013-08) Walker, Anthony Blake; Anderson, Edward RobertEmerging adulthood has been emphasized as a time of exploration generally and of religious or faith-identity specifically, and successful resolution of this aspect of identity holds important consequences related to risk behaviors. The goal of this investigation was to better understand the types of faith-identities found in college, how emerging adults' relationships with parents related to their own faith-identities and how each faith-identity was related to risk behaviors. Spiritual Modeling, a type of modeling rooted in social learning theory, (Bandura; 1977; King, 2003; Oman & Thoreson, 2003) was expected to be predictive of emerging adults' faith-identities, while parent-emerging adult relationship quality and parental conflict were thought to moderate the relationship between spiritual modeling and faith-identity. Faith-Identity was expected to differentiate across binge drinking, marijuana use and number of sexual partners, and sensation seeking was thought to moderate the relationship between faith-identity and risk behaviors. Seven hundred ninety students completed an online survey across 11 large public and private religious universities. Spiritual Modeling was strongly predictive of both religious and commitment oriented faith-identities. The relationship between Spiritual Modeling and Faith-Identity was not moderated by relationship quality or parental conflict. A more religiously oriented faith-identity was predictive of fewer sexual partners and less binge drinking, while a more commitment oriented faith-identity was predictive of less marijuana use. High levels of sensation seeking amplified the relationship between a more secular faith identity and binge drinking. Commitment and Religious faith-identities significantly moderated the relationship between faith-identity and both binge drinking and number of sexual partners. Evidence is suggestive that a religiously oriented faith-identity may be more protective in combination with high levels of commitment while a faith-identity characterized by secularism and high commitment appears least protective. The potential utility of a faith-identity construct in emerging adulthood and future research directions are discussed.Item Understanding emerging adulthood from the perspective of those transitioning from foster care and those experiencing homelessness : the role of policy in supporting competency during the transition to adulthood(2012-08) Gomez, Rebecca Jean; Schwab, A. JamesThe unsatisfactory achievement of adult competency among emerging adults aging out of foster care is well documented. However few studies have examined how development within the child welfare system impacts the ability to achieve competence. In this study, homeless emerging adults who had not aged out of foster care were compared to peers who were homeless and aged out of foster care. The child welfare system is a unique environment with its own policies. In order to better understand the process of development within the child welfare system, the current study used life course developmental theory to understand how the child welfare system affects the development of children and their ability to achieve competencies. Specifically, the role of learned helplessness in influencing the developmental trajectory of children aging out of foster care was examined. The data were collected utilizing participatory action research methods and the use of this methodology among homeless emerging adults is explored. The current study analyzes data collected by the Texas Network of Youth Services. The study examined issues surrounding the transition to adulthood among homeless emerging adults using a participatory action research methodology. The sample included emerging adults 18 to 25 years old who were homeless (n=134). A subset of the sample aged out of foster care. The results indicated that, 1) homeless emerging adults who have not aged out of foster care may be an appropriate comparison group for those who have aged out, 2) homeless emerging adults who aged out of foster care were more likely to have a perception of learned helplessness that may impede their ability to achieve adult competency when compared to those who did not age out of foster care, and 3) despite receiving services to prepare them for adulthood, homeless emerging adults who aged out of foster care had just as much difficulty achieving adult competency as their homeless peers who did not receive these services. Finally, results showed that the use of participatory action research among homeless emerging adults may be a promising approach for future research. Participants expressed feeling empowered and having perceptions that indicated self-efficacy. This indicated that this type of methodology may be promising in altering perceptions of learned helplessness.