Young Adults' Perceived Purposes of Emerging Adulthood: Implications for Cohabitation

Keywords

attitudes toward cohabitation, cohabitation, emerging adulthood, views of emerging adulthood

Abstract

The authors investigated associations between young adults' perceived purposes of emerging adulthood and their attitudes toward and participation in cohabitation. In a sample of 775 never married individuals, ages 18–29 (69% female, 69% white) from the United States, young people's perceptions of this period of life were associated with their acceptance of cohabitation, their reasoning for accepting cohabitation, and the likelihood of cohabiting. Results showed that the perception that emerging adulthood is a time to prepare for future family roles was negatively associated with acceptance of cohabitation whereas the perception that emerging adulthood is a time to take risks was positively associated with acceptance of cohabitation. The perception that emerging adulthood is a time to prepare for future family roles was associated with an increased likelihood of having cohabited while the perception that emerging adulthood is a time of possibilities was associated with a decreased likelihood of having cohabited. Implications for future research are discussed.

Original Publication Citation

*Rogers, A. A., Willoughby, B. J., & Nelson, L. J. (2016). Young adults’ perceived purposes of emerging adulthood: Implications for cohabitation. The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, 150, 485-501.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2015-12-08

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/7506

Publisher

The Journal of Psychology

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Family Life

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

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