Approximately 60% of college seniors lost at least one family member or friend since beginning college (Cox, Dean, & Kowalski, 2015). Research reveals that bereaved students are more likely than their nonbereaved peers to struggle with academic problems and attrition (Cousins, Servaty-Seib & Lockman, 2017), highlighting the importance of identifying protective factors for this group of individuals. Researchers have identified restoration-oriented coping as a helpful coping mechanism in other samples (Caserta & Lund, 2007; Caserta, Lund, Utza, & de Vries, 2009). Despite qualitative evidence suggesting bereaved undergraduates often employ restoration-oriented coping, no research has formally assessed the effects of restoration-oriented coping in a bereaved undergraduate sample. This study assessed the effects of restoration-oriented coping on students’ (N=420; 68.8% female; 46.7% white) psychological well-being in a longitudinal design. Data were part of a larger study (“Spit 4 Science”) assessing the development of substance use and emotional health outcomes in college students. Students were assessed annually; those who reported a loss, had pre-, and post-loss data were included in analysis. Hierarchical multiple linear regressions were conducted and showed restoration-oriented coping was predictive of better psychological well-being and that this relationship was strengthened by social support quality. Extraversion was also predictive of better psychological well-being, while openness and neuroticism were related to poorer psychological well-being. Moreover, neuroticism mediated the relationship between distress at indication of loss and post-loss follow-up. Further research of restoration-oriented coping efforts among bereaved undergraduates is warranted. Additional resources and support may help to keep students engaged following a loss.

Compared to their typically developing peers, adolescents, and emerging adults with special healthcare needs (AEA-SHCN) disproportionately experience healthcare transition (HCT) disparities and poor access to adult care. Theoretical models that describe how access gaps develop and strategies to address unmet HCT needs are not well understood. While HCT researchers describe both system and patient healthcare barriers, a comprehensive approach that discovers how these factors interact and interfere remains misunderstood. An integrative review (IR) was conducted to understand the multiplicity of these factors. An intersectional theory (IT) provided further clarity on how key findings influence patient HCT experiences. Several themes were found to intersect and thus increase the HCT complexity, particularly for patients with social disadvantages. Communication gaps, mismatched goals/expectations, and poorly defined roles were common themes. Poor health equity, disparities in access, and inadequate HCT support intersected with poor patient HCT experiences, while youth with stigma-related diseases were most at-risk for poor provider-relationships. The thematic synthesis provided granularity to these experiences with characterizations as fear, loss, and uncertainty with access change. Social change implications underscore the need to reframe poor patient HCT experiences as potential opportunities for health policy advocates and clinicians to address unmet HCT needs.

In dieser Arbeit wurden Zusammenhänge zwischen den sexuellen Erfahrungen junger Frauen und Männer, ihren Persönlichkeitseigenschaften und ihren sexualmoralischen Einstellungen auf der einen Seite und der Einschätzung ihrer sexuellen Handlungsfähigkeit auf der anderen Seite untersucht. Die Grundlage für das Modell der sexuellen Handlungsfähigkeit bildeten die Vorstellungen der Arbeitsgruppe um Matthias Grundmann (Grundmann et al. 2006) sowie von Emirbayer und Mische (1998). Das in dieser Arbeit entwickelte Modell zur sexuellen Handlungsfähigkeit ist ein multidimensionales Konstrukt, das sich aus den Komponenten „sexuelle Kommunikation“, „sexuelle Zufriedenheit“, „sexuelle Reziprozität“ sowie „sexuelle Eigenverantwortung“ zusammensetzt. „Sexuelle Kommunikation“ beinhaltet die Fähigkeit, sexuelle Wünsche zum Ausdruck bringen zu können. „Sexuelle Zufriedenheit“ beschreibt den Grad der Zufriedenheit mit dem eigenen Sexualleben. „Sexuelle Reziprozität“ verweist auf die Fähigkeit, sexuelle Aufmerksamkeiten sowohl Annehmen als auch Geben zu können. „Sexuelle Eigenverantwortung“ betont schließlich die Einschätzung, inwieweit die eigene Sexualität selbst bestimmt gestaltet werden kann. Mit Emirbayer und Mische werden die sexuellen Erfahrungen der Frauen und Männer als Korrelate der Einschätzung der Dimensionen der sexuellen Handlungsfähigkeit betrachtet. Mit Grundmann et al. sind es zudem verschiedene Persönlichkeitseigenschaften sowie sexualmoralische Einstellungen, deren Beschaffenheiten Aussagen über die sexuelle Handlungsfähigkeit erlauben. Um die Thematik der sexuellen Handlungsfähigkeit empirisch zu betrachten, wurden im Jahr 2006 695 junge Potsdamer/innen im Alter von 19 bis 21 Jahren im Rahmen einer standardisierten Erhebung zu ihren sexuellen und Beziehungserfahrungen befragt. Die empirischen Analysen verdeutlichen eine ko-konstruktive Anschauung von der Entwicklung sexueller Handlungsfähigkeit. Diese entsteht nicht im Individuum allein, sondern innerhalb der Interaktions- und Aushandlungsprozesse des Individuums mit den Anderen seiner sozialen und sexuellen Umwelt. Von Bedeutung erweisen dabei sowohl die Erlebnisse der sexuellen Biografie als auch die Persönlichkeitsmerkmale eines jeden Einzelnen. Nur geringfügig erscheinen die erfragten sexualmoralischen Ansichten von Bedeutung. / This study examines the connections between young women’s and men’s sexual experiences, their psychometrically meassures, and their moral attitudes according to sexuality on the one hand and the young women’s and men’s evaluation of their sexual agency on the other hand. The model of sexual agency used in this study is based upon the conceptions of Matthias Grundmann and collegues (Grundmann et al. 2006) as well as upon the conceptions of Mustafa Emirbayer and Ann Mische (1998). According to Emirbayer and Mische, in this study young women’s and men’s sexual experiences are conceived as correlates of their self-evalutation of sexual agency. Moreover, according to Grundmann et al., it is suggested that the young adults’ personality traits and their moral attitudes concerning sexulity are able to characterize their state of sexual agency. In this work a multidimensional construct of sexual agency has been developed. The multidimensional construct of sexual agency consists of the four dimensions “sexual communication”, “sexual satisfaction”, “sexual reciprocity”, and “sexual self-responsibility”. “Sexual communication” characterizes the ability to communicate one’s own sexual wishes. “Sexual satisfaction” describes the state of satisfaction with one’s sexual life. “Sexual reciprocity” contains the ability of both taking and giving sexual pleasures. Finally, “sexual self-responsibility” emphasizes the capability of creating one’s sexuality in an self dependened way. Based on a quantitative sample the subject of sexual agency has been examined empirically. In the year 2006 695 young adults, aged 19 to 21 years and living in Potsdam, Germany, have been asked about their sexual experiences and their experiences concerning romantic relationships. Data support a co-constructive view of the development of sexual agency. Thus, the development of sexual agency is not an exclusively individual demand, but a demand of the individuum’s negotiations with it’s social others, with men and women of it’s social and sexual society. Therefore, aspects of the individual’s sexual biography as well as the individual’s personality traits are important for the self-evaluaton of it’s sexual agency. However, data also show that the moral attitudes concerning sexuality are less important for the perception of one’s state of sexual agency.

Recent research has proposed a new stage in human development, termed emerging adulthood by Jeffrey Arnett, which is characterized by a prolonged journey to adult roles and responsibilities. This thesis explores the experience of Chinese emerging adults, university students aged 20-25 years using Erikson’s and Levinson’s developmental theories as a theoretical framework. These authors proposed that three major developmental tasks are necessary for the transition to adulthood: separating from family of origin, forming an adult identity and finding the place for the self in the larger society. Qualitative interviews were conducted virtually with 12 Chinese university students to understand their perceptions and lived experience. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to analyze the interview transcripts. The results suggest Chinese emerging adults (a) have a low level of separation from parents; (b) have not formed a clear sense of identity and have not achieved a self-definition in adulthood; and (c) have not made initial commitments to love and work. It is speculated that the Chinese sociocultural context may further postpone its young adults’ independence and autonomy, and this prolonged transition to adulthood is both positive and problematic to Chinese young adults. This study lends support to Arnett’s emerging adulthood theory through its exploration of emerging adulthood in China, where, to date, little research has been done on this subject. It provides rich descriptions of the experience of Chinese emerging adults’ lives and enhances understandings of the role of culture in influencing the emerging adulthood period.

This study explored the experiences of young adult members of a Ukrainian Catholic community in Western Canada using the concept of sense of community as a conceptual framework. Psychological sense of community refers to a feeling that members have of belonging, a feeling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that members needs will be met through their commitment to be together (p. 9, McMillan & Chavis, 1986). Sense of community has been studied primarily at the level of the individual, rather than the group or community. This research used focus groups to move beyond the level of the individual to examine the sense of community shared by Ukrainian Catholic young adults. A total of 22 young adults participated in six focus groups. Qualitative analysis of focus group transcripts using Ethnograph 5.07 (Robbins & Seidel, 1998) revealed that belonging, familiarity with community members, and trust that the community would support them, were three core aspects of the sense of community shared by these young adults. Three supportive aspects that increased sense of community also emerged from this study: participation in church services and community events, similarity in members beliefs, values, interests and goals, and a strong sense of ones ethnic and religious heritage and traditions. These findings argue for the inclusion of participation as a dimension of sense of community rather than a correlate. Challenges to all of these aspects tended to decrease young adults sense of community. Lack of shared beliefs, feelings of intimidation in a new parish and hypocrisy in the actions of other community members were especially damaging to young adults sense of community. Based on this information, four areas of need were identified for the Ukrainian Catholic young adult population and suggestions were made to help strengthen their sense of community. The use of focus groups allowed for the emergence of a description of sense of community that was reflective of the ethnic, religious and developmental characteristics of the population under study. Future research should employ methodologies that are sensitive to the context-dependent nature of this construct.

This study explored the experiences of young adult members of a Ukrainian Catholic community in Western Canada using the concept of sense of community as a conceptual framework. Psychological sense of community refers to a feeling that members have of belonging, a feeling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that members needs will be met through their commitment to be together (p. 9, McMillan & Chavis, 1986). Sense of community has been studied primarily at the level of the individual, rather than the group or community. This research used focus groups to move beyond the level of the individual to examine the sense of community shared by Ukrainian Catholic young adults. A total of 22 young adults participated in six focus groups. Qualitative analysis of focus group transcripts using Ethnograph 5.07 (Robbins & Seidel, 1998) revealed that belonging, familiarity with community members, and trust that the community would support them, were three core aspects of the sense of community shared by these young adults. Three supportive aspects that increased sense of community also emerged from this study: participation in church services and community events, similarity in members beliefs, values, interests and goals, and a strong sense of ones ethnic and religious heritage and traditions. These findings argue for the inclusion of participation as a dimension of sense of community rather than a correlate. Challenges to all of these aspects tended to decrease young adults sense of community. Lack of shared beliefs, feelings of intimidation in a new parish and hypocrisy in the actions of other community members were especially damaging to young adults sense of community. Based on this information, four areas of need were identified for the Ukrainian Catholic young adult population and suggestions were made to help strengthen their sense of community. The use of focus groups allowed for the emergence of a description of sense of community that was reflective of the ethnic, religious and developmental characteristics of the population under study. Future research should employ methodologies that are sensitive to the context-dependent nature of this construct.

Recent research has proposed a new stage in human development, termed emerging adulthood by Jeffrey Arnett, which is characterized by a prolonged journey to adult roles and responsibilities. This thesis explores the experience of Chinese emerging adults, university students aged 20-25 years using Erikson’s and Levinson’s developmental theories as a theoretical framework. These authors proposed that three major developmental tasks are necessary for the transition to adulthood: separating from family of origin, forming an adult identity and finding the place for the self in the larger society. Qualitative interviews were conducted virtually with 12 Chinese university students to understand their perceptions and lived experience. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to analyze the interview transcripts. The results suggest Chinese emerging adults (a) have a low level of separation from parents; (b) have not formed a clear sense of identity and have not achieved a self-definition in adulthood; and (c) have not made initial commitments to love and work. It is speculated that the Chinese sociocultural context may further postpone its young adults’ independence and autonomy, and this prolonged transition to adulthood is both positive and problematic to Chinese young adults. This study lends support to Arnett’s emerging adulthood theory through its exploration of emerging adulthood in China, where, to date, little research has been done on this subject. It provides rich descriptions of the experience of Chinese emerging adults’ lives and enhances understandings of the role of culture in influencing the emerging adulthood period.

Obesity is a public health concern and obesity rates increase from adolescence to adulthood. Therefore, the period between 18-24, known as emerging adulthood, may be a crucial period in the development of obesity. Physical activity (PA) is one component of obesity and levels of physical activity decline significantly during emerging adulthood. Additionally, stress is inversely associated with PA, with greater levels of PA associated with lower levels of stress. While most research has focused on whether or how PA may improve stress, much less has focused on how the experience of stress may be related to levels of PA. The limited existing research with a focus on the latter has found that stress negatively impacts PA. However, even less research has examined the associations between stress and vigorous PA (VPA) in emerging adulthood, a crucial period in the development of obesity. Additionally, research as not explored the potential role of perceived stress management ability in the relationship between perceived stress and VPA. Linear regression analyses were run to examine the relationship between perceived stress and days and minutes of past week VPA among first-year college students and to test whether the relationship between perceived stress and VPA was moderated by perceived stress management ability. In unadjusted models, perceived stress was significantly negatively associated with both minutes and days of VPA, indicating that perceived stress may be a barrier to VPA, but in models adjusted for gender and body mass index (BMI), these associations were no longer significant, indicating that there was no association between perceived stress and VPA taking into account gender and BMI. Moderation of the relationship between perceived stress and VPA was not found, indicating that and that the relationship between perceived stress and VPA did not differ by perceived stress management ability in this population. These results are inconsistent with previous research that has found a significant negative relationship between perceived stress and physical activity. Additionally, gender was significantly associated with minutes of VPA. Possible reasons for the inconsistency of these findings and previous research, along with limitations of the current study and future directions are discussed. / text

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine factors associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among emerging adults in college aged 18-25 years. CVD risks that develop during this period often persist into adulthood making it an ideal time to target CVD prevention. The specific aims of this dissertation were to 1) explore perceptions of cardiovascular risk among emerging adult men in college; 2) compare differences in unhealthy behaviors and obesity between emerging adults in college living in rural, Appalachian Kentucky and urban Fayette County, Kentucky; and 3) compare measures of general and abdominal obesity in predicting blood pressure among emerging adults in college. Specific Aim One was addressed by a qualitative study of perceptions of cardiovascular risk in 10 emerging adult males in college. Specific Aims Two and Three were addressed by a study of emerging adult college students living in rural, Appalachian and urban Fayette County, Kentucky. We hypothesized that students in rural, Appalachian Kentucky would engage in more unhealthy behaviors and be obese due to living in an austere environment with barriers to healthy behaviors. Although obesity and hypertension are known to be related, researchers have not determined whether body fat distribution, general vs. abdominal, is predictive of blood pressure in emerging adults. Knowing which body fat distribution is the strongest predictor of blood pressure may help in evaluating cardiovascular risk in emerging adults. Emerging adult men emphasized difficulty engaging in CVD health behaviors while attending college and choose to ignore long-term CVD risk. Overcoming college-specific and developmental barriers to engaging in healthy behaviors is critical to reducing cardiovascular risk in this population. Students living in rural, Appalachian Kentucky had more CVD risk behaviors and more were obese compared to those in urban Fayette County, Kentucky. Reducing CVD risk behaviors and obesity among students in rural Appalachian Kentucky may help decrease the high burden of CVD in this region. Findings suggest that waist circumference was the best predictor of systolic blood pressure among emerging adults in college.

Few studies have examined the relationships between recreational physical activity, body image and sexuality simultaneously. Research has demonstrated that females experience poor body satisfaction to a greater degree than men (Faith & Schare, 1993; Feingold & Mazzella, 1998), however, studies focusing on male body image and sexuality are lacking (Lavender, 2011). The objective of the current study was to investigate the relationships between recreational physical activity, body image and sexual function and satisfaction in 849 emerging adult, heterosexual men. Results indicated that engagement in recreational physical activity predicted better body image but not sexual functioning or satisfaction. Better body image predicted greater sexual function and satisfaction, and sexual function predicted greater sexual satisfaction. Implications and future research are discussed.