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Emerging adults’ religiosity has been consistently linked with less participation in sexual behaviors as supported by cognitive dissonance theory. However, this association may be different when examining centrality of religiosity of relationships (CRR), meaning participating in and discussing religiosity and spirituality with a current or anticipa...
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... In general, increased religiosity tends to be negatively associated with engaging in sexual activity, such that greater levels of religiosity are related to reduced affectionate, intimate touching; oral sex behaviors; and odds of engaging in sexual intercourse. For religious individuals who do engage in sexual activity, religiosity (e.g., personal religiosity, friends' religiosity, time spent in religious secular activities, and parental religious attendance) is associated with higher age at first sex and lower number of sexual partners (Adamczyk, 2012;Koletic et al., 2021;Langlais & Schwanz, 2017). ...
Past research has shown that religiosity can impact sexual behaviors of college-aged youth in both positive and negative directions. As many world religions promote doctrines that include negative views toward sexual minorities, the current study aimed to examine the potentially differential ways religiosity is related to sexual behaviors across various sexual orientations. College/university students across Oregon (N = 1553) completed an online cross-sectional survey in which they provided information about their sexual orientation, levels of religiosity, religious affiliation, and endorsed recent sexual behavior outcomes. Using logistic models in PROCESS, sexual orientation was examined as a moderator of the relations between religiosity (assessed via the Centrality of Religiosity Scale; Huber & Huber) and religious affiliation and the occurrence (yes vs. no) of three sexual behaviors in the past 6 months: birth control use during sex, sexual activity under the influence of substances, and testing positive for an STI. Covariates were age and natal sex. Religiosity was related to reduced birth control use in heterosexual and gay/lesbian individuals. Religiosity was not associated with sexual behaviors in bi/pansexual college students. Findings show that religiosity was a salient construct for understanding sexual behaviors in heterosexual and gay/lesbian college students, but not in bi/pansexual college students. Given that religiosity has differential effects for various sexual behaviors that can heighten risk of negative sexual health outcomes, recommendations are made for increased and tailored sexual health education to religiously identified college students.
Embedded within the sociocultural context of romantic relationships are features such as race, culture, neighborhoods, the legal system, and governmental policy. Due to the inherent difficulties with studying large structures and systems, little work has been done at the macro level in relationship science. This volume spotlights the complex interplay between romantic relationships and these structural systems, including varied insights from experts in the field. In turn, more diverse and generalizable research programs on the social ecology of relationships can be developed, helping to facilitate advances in theory. Scholars and students of relationship science in psychology, sociology, communication, and family studies will benefit from these discussions. This title is part of the Flip it Open programme and may also be available Open Access. Check our website Cambridge Core for details.
