LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX: YOUNG ADULT DATING RELATIONSHIPS AND DEPRESSION AS RELATED TO PARENTAL RELATIONAL FACTORS

Search for this publication on Google Scholar
Camp, C. (2016). LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX: YOUNG ADULT DATING RELATIONSHIPS AND DEPRESSION AS RELATED TO PARENTAL RELATIONAL FACTORS. Unc Charlotte Electronic Theses And Dissertations.
Download PDF

Analytics

60 views ◎
20 downloads ⇓


Abstract

Recent research has shown that adolescents who engage in sexual intercourse exhibit more depressive symptoms, including suicidal ideation and intent, than do adolescents who do not engage in sexual intercourse. Research has also shown that individuals’ attachment with their caretakers in their childhood has far-reaching effects, even as they enter into adult romantic relationships and sexual initiation, as differing attachments to caretakers is associated with different motives and emotional responses to sexual intercourse. The current study sought to integrate the findings of these fields of research, determining whether individuals’ retrospective identification of their attachment to primary caretakers was associated with their report of depression after sexual initiation. Participants were administered five scales, including a demographics questionnaire, the Retrospective Attachment Scale, the Retrospective Romantic Partner Attachment Scale, the depression items of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Revised. No significant association was found between sexual activity and depression, and furthermore, there was no moderating effect of attachment to either primary caretaker or first sexual partner on the association between sexual activity and depression. Results of the current study and ideas for future research are discussed.

Details
Author

Camp, Courtney

Title

LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX: YOUNG ADULT DATING RELATIONSHIPS AND DEPRESSION AS RELATED TO PARENTAL RELATIONAL FACTORS

Physical Description

1 online resource (76 pages) : PDF

Date

2016

Degree Granting Institution

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract

Recent research has shown that adolescents who engage in sexual intercourse exhibit more depressive symptoms, including suicidal ideation and intent, than do adolescents who do not engage in sexual intercourse. Research has also shown that individuals’ attachment with their caretakers in their childhood has far-reaching effects, even as they enter into adult romantic relationships and sexual initiation, as differing attachments to caretakers is associated with different motives and emotional responses to sexual intercourse. The current study sought to integrate the findings of these fields of research, determining whether individuals’ retrospective identification of their attachment to primary caretakers was associated with their report of depression after sexual initiation. Participants were administered five scales, including a demographics questionnaire, the Retrospective Attachment Scale, the Retrospective Romantic Partner Attachment Scale, the depression items of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Revised. No significant association was found between sexual activity and depression, and furthermore, there was no moderating effect of attachment to either primary caretaker or first sexual partner on the association between sexual activity and depression. Results of the current study and ideas for future research are discussed.

Genre

masters theses

Subjects--Topics

Psychology

Degree

M.A.

Keywords

Adolescence
Attachment
Depression
Parents
Sex
Teen

Subject Area

Psychology

Advisor(s)

Tedeschi, Richard

Committee Members

Canevello, Amy
Cann, Arnie
Armstrong, Laura

Degree Note

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2016.

Rights Statement

This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). For additional information, see http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/.

Rights Holder Information

Copyright is held by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Identifier

Camp_uncc_0694N_11092

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:93