Social clock theory posits that off-time transitions, such as virginity loss, are often socially reproached and stigmatized. Research suggests, however, that reasons for virginity in adulthood are heterogeneous and that some emerging adult virgins (EAVs) are struggling socially. To guide the development of interventions tailored to this population, it is important to understand their difficulties. Through individual semi-structured interviews, this study explores the difficulties and disagreeable emotions experienced by 29 heterosexual virgins aged between 20 and 29. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Three main themes were identified: (a) difficulties related to society, (b) difficulties related to interpersonal relationships, and (c) disagreeable emotions experienced relative to late virginity. These results reveal that difficulties expressed by EAVs are intertwined and surprisingly, the most salient difficulty was related to lack of intimacy, rather than virginity per se. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed, along with recommendations for future research.

社会时钟理论认为，非时间过渡，例如失去童贞，往往会受到社会的指责和污名化。然而，研究表明，成年后保持童贞的原因各不相同，而且一些新兴的成年处女 (EAV) 在社交方面举步维艰。为了指导针对这一人群制定干预措施，了解他们的困难很重要。通过个人半结构式访谈，本研究探讨了 29 名年龄在 20 至 29 岁之间的异性恋处女所经历的困难和不愉快的情绪。使用主题分析法对数据进行分析。确定了三个主要主题：(a) 与社会相关的困难，(b) 与人际关系相关的困难，以及 (c) 与晚贞相关的不愉快情绪。这些结果表明，EAV 表达的困难是相互交织的，令人惊讶的是，最突出的困难与缺乏亲密感有关，而不是童贞本身。讨论了理论和临床意义，以及对未来研究的建议。