Drawing the Line: An Exploratory Study of Single College Student Perceptions of Marital Boundaries in Opposite Sex Relationships |
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| Authors: | Jerry L Cook Randall M Jones J Mitchell Vaterlaus |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, California State University-Sacramento, Sacramento, California, USA;2. Department of Family, Consumer, and Human Development, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA;3. Department of Health and Human Development, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA |
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| Abstract: | Marital boundary expectations among single young adults are examined within the context of gender and religiosity among a diverse single young adult sample (n = 422) consisting of college students residing in California, Utah, and Nebraska. Participants (ages 18–29, M = 22.42) completed an online survey and were given extra credit for their participation. The results show that these young adults tend to perceive the need for communication and gift-giving boundaries within the context of heterosexual marriages. Analyses also indicate a trend for women to have higher perceptions of marital boundaries than men and for religiosity (assessed in two different ways) to be linked with marital boundaries. Limitations and recommendations are discussed. |
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| Keywords: | early adulthood family systems theory gender marriage religiosity |
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