Divorcing commitment: Examining the role of parental divorce in undergraduates’ friends with benefits relationships
Scott C.L.; Hash J.M.; Stevens P.; Tejada T.
2016
Contemporary Perspectives in Family Research
1
10.1108/S1530-353520160000010009
Purpose - To investigate how parental divorce and gender might influence the likelihood of engaging in a friends with benefits relationship (FWBR), and the likelihood of binge drinking and unprotected sex practices. Methodology/approach - Using self-report measures, 99 undergraduates shared their parental marital history, experiences with FWBRs, and health risk behaviors. Findings - Men, as compared with women, reported significantly more FWBRs as did participants with divorced/separated parents, as compared with those with married parents. Participants who had engaged in an FWBR reported significantly more binge drinking than those with no prior FWBR experience; however, no differences were found for gender or parental marital status. No significant differences emerged regarding the prevalence of unprotected sex. Research limitations/implications - The current study employed the use of self-report surveys, which can be subject to social desirability. All participants were recruited from a single liberal arts college with a limited sample of men with divorced or separated parents. Originality/value - Using mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) to explore young adults’ predictors and outcomes of engaging in FWBRs provided unique insights into how gender and parental relationships influence both casual sex and health-related behaviors. © 2016 by Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Binge drinking; Casual sex; Friends with benefits relationships; Marriage and divorce; Sexual behavior; Undergraduates; Unprotected sex
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