Department of Child and Family Studies, College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, The University of Tennessee, 115 Jessie W. Harris Building, 1215 W. Cumberland Avenue, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA.
Department of Applied Human Services, College of Health and Human Sciences, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA.
Arch Sex Behav. 2021 Aug;50(6):2435-2446. doi: 10.1007/s10508-021-02042-4. Epub 2021 Aug 9.
The purpose of this study was to examine how meanings ascribed to sex and commitment vary based on educational background, gender, and other correlates using a large sample of college-attending and non-college emerging adults (ages 18-25; N = 669). Findings from our content analysis replicated previous research by identifying meanings focused on commitment (47.8%), flexibility (22.7%), and recreation (17.8%). We also found two additional meanings focused on finding a sexual connection (termed Connectors; 9.1%) and using sex to test relationship compatibility (termed Testers; 2.5%), which were not found in previous studies on sex and commitment. A greater proportion of women than men were in the Committers group, whereas a greater proportion of men than women were in the Recreationers group. A greater proportion of heterosexual than sexual minority participants were in the Committers group, whereas a greater proportion of sexual minority than heterosexual participants were in the Flexibles and Testers groups. A greater proportion of those in committed relationships than those in casual or no relationships were in the Committers group, whereas a greater proportion of those in casual relationships than those in committed or no relationships were in the Recreationers group. Those in the Recreationers group reported the greatest average number of hookup partners in the last 12 months (compared to all others), and those in the Recreationers and Testers groups reported the greatest average number of lifetime sexual partners (compared to all others). Implications for future research and sexual health education for emerging adults are discussed.
本研究旨在通过对大量参加过大学教育和未接受过大学教育的成年早期（18-25 岁）人群进行调查，考察教育背景、性别等因素对性和承诺的含义的影响。我们的内容分析结果复制了先前的研究，确定了四个关注承诺（47.8%）、灵活性（22.7%）和娱乐（17.8%）的含义。我们还发现了另外两个关注寻找性联系（称为 Connectors；9.1%）和用性来检验关系兼容性（称为 Testers；2.5%）的含义，这在之前关于性和承诺的研究中没有发现。与男性相比，更多的女性属于承诺者群体，而更多的男性属于娱乐者群体。与异性恋参与者相比，性少数群体参与者更倾向于属于承诺者群体，而与异性恋参与者相比，性少数群体参与者更倾向于属于灵活性和 Testers 群体。与处于随意或无关系的人相比，处于承诺关系中的人更倾向于属于承诺者群体，而与处于承诺关系或无关系的人相比，处于娱乐者群体中的人更倾向于处于随意关系中。在过去 12 个月中，报告拥有最多性伴侣的人是娱乐者群体（与其他群体相比），而娱乐者和 Testers 群体报告拥有最多性伴侣的人数（与其他群体相比）最多。讨论了对未来研究和成年早期性健康教育的启示。
