Religiosity, sexual behaviors, and sexual attitudes during emerging adulthood

Abstract

The current study examined associations between religiosity and sexual behaviors and attitudes during emerging adulthood. Two hundred and five emerging adults completed surveys about five aspects of their religiosity (group affiliation, attendance at religious services, attitudes, perceptions of negative sanctions, and adherence to sanctions) and their sexual behaviors (abstinence, age of onset, lifetime partners, condom use) and attitudes (conservative attitudes, perceived vulnerability to HIV, and condom-related beliefs). Associations were found between the measures of religiosity and sexuality, although the patterns differed by measures used. Religious behavior was the strongest predictor of sexual behavior. Many aspects of religiosity were associated with general sexual attitudes, which was not the case for perceived vulnerability to HIV and condom-related beliefs. The findings support reference group theory and highlight the importance of considering the specific constructs of religiosity and sexuality assessed in studies of these topics.

Associations Between Religiosity and Sexuality in a Representative Sample of Australian Adults

“…Unlike other studies (e.g., Lefkowitz et al, 2004;Miller & Gur, 2002;Rostosky et al, 2003), this study did not assess the subjective importance of religion or individuals' beliefs about the importance of religion in shaping their sexual behavior and attitudes. However, different measures of religiosity are often highly correlated (e.g., those who attend services more frequently also give a greater importance to their religious beliefs) such that the different measures are often combined to form a composite index of religiosity (e.g., Hardy & Raffaelli, 2003;Meier, 2003;Pluhar, Frongillo, Stycos, & Dempster-McClain, 1998).…”

“…The most comprehensive operationalization of religion/religiosity is that of Lefkowitz et al (2004), who assessed identity (affiliation), behavior (frequency of attendance), attitude (subjective importance of religion), perception (the religion's views of sex), and practice (adherence to the religion's views of sexual behavior). However, as suggested above, only in studies designed specifically for the analyses of religion/religiosity could sufficient space be devoted to a comprehensive operationalization of these variables.…”

“…Studies of religion and sexuality commonly find that religious beliefs and/or activities are associated with more conservative sexual attitudes, later initiation of sexual behavior, and a more narrow range of sexual experiences (Cochran & Beeghley, 1991;Cochran, Chamlin, Beeghley, & Fenwick, 2004;Davidson, Moore, & Ullstrup, 2004;Hardy & Raffaelli, 2003;Jones, Darroch, & Singh, 2005;Laumann, Gagnon, Michael, & Michaels, 1994;Lefkowitz, Gillen, Shearer, & Boone, 2004;Leiblum, Wiegel, & Brickle, 2003;Lottes, Weinberg, & Weller, 1993;Meier, 2003;Miller & Gur, 2002;Paul, Fitzjohn, Eberhart-Phillips, Herbison, & Dickson, 2000;Rostosky, Regnerus, & Wright, 2003;Rostosky, Wilcox, Wright, & Randall, 2004;Sandfort, Bos, Haavio-Mannila, & Sundet, 1998;Zaleski & Schiaffino, 2000). The strongest evidence for links between religion/religiosity and sexual behavior comes from longitudinal prospective studies.…”

The Association of Religiosity, Sexual Education, and Parental Factors with Risky Sexual Behaviors Among Adolescents and Young Adults

“…Most research supported that adolescents who were more religious tended to delay sexual activity (Kirby 2002;Rostosky et al 2004). For male and female teens, frequent attendance at religious services and religious youth activities, higher levels of importance of religion in daily life and religious feelings, and increased adherence to religious teachings were all significantly related to decreased rates of voluntary sexual debut (Fehring et al 1998;Holder et al 2000;Lammers et al 2000;Lefkowitz et al 2004;McCree et al 2003;Nonnemaker et al 2003;Rostosky et al 2003). Having increased levels of social support from friends in a faith context was related to decreased likelihood of sexual initiation as was having peers who attended church regularly (Holder et al 2000;Manlove et al 2008;Mott et al 1996).…”

Hiding the Word: Examining the Relationship Between a New Measure of Religiosity and Sexual Behavior

“…DuRant and Sanders (1989) found sexually active adolescent girls who frequently attended worship services reported a lower frequency of participation in sexual intercourse than those who attended worship services less frequently. Lefkowitz et al (2004) found sexually active Catholics reported fewer lifetime sexual partners than sexually active Protestants.…”