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Social and Psychological Factors of Rural Youth Sexting: An Examination of Gender-Specific Models
Deviant Behavior
Abstract
To date, few studies have examined the social and psychological effects of sexting behaviors. The current study examined how delinquency, social, and psychological factors were associated with sexting behavior in a sample of rural, high school students (n = 548). The results demonstrated that property delinquency, bully-victimization, alcohol, marijuana use, and bullying increased odds of sending and receiving nude photos. Gender specific models indicated that females who had participated in sexting behavior were more likely to report using alcohol and being a victim of bullying, while males were more likely to report using marijuana and being a perpetrator of bullying. Implications are discussed.
... More than one in ten (10.2% to 14.8%) adolescents [1,9,10], over onethird (38.3%) of emerging adults aged 18-29 [2], and more than half (53.3%) of adults [1], Sexes 2023, 4 have engaged in sext-sending behaviours. While sexting is widely regarded as normative behaviour among young people [11,12], it is also associated with risky behaviours such as cyberbullying [13]. ...
... However, despite the wealth of research exploring sexting and cybervictimization, there is little information regarding associations between sexting and cyberbullying perpetration. Available research suggests that sext sending is positively associated with cyberbullying perpetration [13,28], with some studies broadly construing sexting as a form of cyberbullying behaviour [29,30]. Notably, prior studies have failed to differentiate between consensual and nonconsensual forms of sexting. ...
... In contrast to previous research [13,28,43], there was no support for Hypothesis 1, as sext-sending was not found to be associated with cyberbullying perpetration for young adults. The high rates of sext-sending behaviours found in the present study (68.3%) may suggest the presence of a ceiling effect [44], which may have led to an underestimation of regression parameters, thus making it more difficult to detect the significance. ...
With the increased ubiquity of digital technology, sexting behaviours, defined as the online sending, receiving, or disseminating of sexually explicit messages, images, or videos, have become increasingly frequent, particularly among young adults. While prior research found sexting behaviours to be associated with cyberbullying behaviours, the role of consent as part of this association has been largely unexplored. The current study investigates whether the relationship between sexting behaviours and cyberbullying perpetration might be explained by a subset of nonconsensual sexting behaviours, such as engagement in nonconsensual sext dissemination and sext-hassling. A large convenience sample of young Western cisgendered adults (n = 1688, M age = 23.15, SD = 3.23, 52.7% women) completed an anonymous online survey exploring harmful online behaviours (nonconsensual sext dissemination, sext-hassling, cyberbullying victimisation/perpetration). A hierarchical logistic regression was used to analyse predictive relationships between variables. The results showed no significant association between consensual sext-sending and cyberbullying perpetration in young adults. However, nonconsensual sexting behaviours, particularly sext-hassling and nonconsensual sext dissemination, were predictive of cyberbullying perpetration. Finally, cyberbullying victimization appeared to be the most strongly associated factor with cyberbullying perpetration. These findings suggest that future research and prevention efforts surrounding sexting and cyberbullying perpetration would benefit from a focus on consent and the bidirectional nature of cyberbullying behaviours.
... It was possible to verify that the minimum number of participants of all studies were 200 (Yoder et al., 2018) and the maximum of 14,946 (Baumgartner et al., 2014), with adolescent population with ages between 11 and 24 years old. Of the total sample, n = 16 (Alonso & Romero, 2019;Barroso et al., 2021;Hernández et al., 2021;Kernsmith et al., 2018;Lee et al., 2016;Molla-Esparza et al., 2020;Needham, 2021;Ojeda et al., 2020;Pineda et al., 2019;Soriano-Ayala et al., 2020;Strohmaier et al., 2014;Villacampa, 2017;Woodward et al., 2017) had the definition of consensual sexting. Most studies included analyzed both boys and girls sexting behavior, except for one study which only included a sample of boys (n = 200; Yoder et al., 2018). ...
... Studies have linked that substance and excessive alcohol use are associated with the likelihood of adolescents engaging in consensual sexting (Dodaj et al., 2020;Gil-Llario et al., 2020b;Morelli et al., 2017;Temple et al., 2012;Ybarra & Mitchell, 2014;Woodward et al., 2017). ...
... Several studies highlight that long-distance relationships are associated with engagement in consensual sexting experiences (Alonso & Romero, 2019;Needham, 2021;Temple et al., 2012;Yépez-Tito et al., 2018). Similarly, the desire to be in a sexual or initiate romantic relationships (Beckmeyer et al., 2019;Pineda et al., 2019;Ojeda et al., 2020;Temple et al., 2012;Ybarra & Mitchell, 2014) and being sexually active and/or having previous sexting experiences ( Family Relationship A relationship has been found between consensual sexting and living in a single-parent family and less cohesive families (Hernández et al., 2021;Molla-Esparza et al., 2020;Woodward et al., 2017). In several studies (n = 11), a positive significant relation was found between normalization of sexting behavior (e.g., new form of sexual expression and new form of socialization) by adolescents and engaging in consensual sexting behavior (Alonso & Romero, 2019;Dodaj et al., 2020;Gamez-Guadix et al., 2017;Gil-Llario et al., 2020b;Houck et al., 2014;Olatunde & Balogun, 2017;Yépez-Tito et al., 2018;Temple et al., 2012;Villacampa, 2017;. ...
Sexting is considered a practice of sending, receiving, and forwarding sexually explicit content through electronic devices. Given a lack of research distinguishing the characteristics of different forms of sexting, this systematic review aimed to analyze studies of the characteristics that might influence individuals’ engagement in consensual and non-consensual sexting behavior. This systematic review was conducted using three online databases (EBSCOhost, PubMed, and Web of Science). The search resulted in the extraction of 709 articles, of which 39 were considered eligible for inclusion. One study also was identified by a manual search, which resulted in a final sample of 40 articles published between 2012 and 2021. The results show that male adolescents are more likely to engage in both forms of sexting. Adolescents with some Big Five Personality traits (i.e., who score higher on conscientiousness, extroversion, and openness), spend more time online and are in a stable relationship were positively associated with consensual sexting. Adolescents who lack control and are more aggressive were more likely to engage in non-consensual sexting. This systematic review also revealed that there is insufficient research on the subject, mainly regarding non-consensual sexting and characteristics of who perpetrates this behavior.
... Some research has investigated the association between sexting and depression, revealing inconsistent findings. While several studies found a positive association between depressive symptoms and sexting [5,31,33,[37][38][39][40][41][42], other studies showed no significant relationship [27,[43][44][45], and yet other investigations revealed mixed results [32,46,47]. For example, Temple et al. [46] found in a sample of 938 adolescents between 14-and 18-years-old that the link between depression and sexting became insignificant after including sexual behavior, age, gender, race/ethnicity, and parent education as control variables. ...
... Potential reasons for these inconsistent findings on the relationship between sexting and depressive symptoms are differences in sample characteristics (i.e., age, gender distribution) and the operationalization of sexting (i.e., global items, one or two types of sexting). Several studies used global items without specifying whether sexting was conducted consensually, non-consensually, or under pressure [32,33,[44][45][46], whilst other authors measured one or two of the three types of sexting [31,38,39,41,43,47]. Only one of the reviewed studies [27] considered all three types of sexting. ...
... This finding is difficult to compare with prior research because of the lack of research that investigated all three types of sexting in relation to depressive symptoms in one analysis. In comparison to prior work that used global items to measure sexting, our finding is somewhat aligned with studies that revealed a positive correlation between sexting and depression [33,46] but also with other studies that did not [43,45]. Comparing our findings to prior research that specified a particular type of sexting in relation to depressive symptoms, our findings contrast with several studies which found a significant positive relationship between consensual sexting and depression [31,39,41,47]. ...
Sexting among adolescents has triggered controversial debates among scholars and the general public. However, questions regarding the associations between different types of sexting, namely consensual, non-consensual, and pressured sexting, depressive symptoms, and non-suicidal self-harm remain. In addition, little attention has been given to whether demographic variables (i.e., gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual minority) might influence these associations. To fill these gaps in the literature, the present study was conducted. Participants were 2506 adolescents (ages 13–16 years old; Mage = 15.17; SDage = 0.89) from eight high schools located in the suburbs of a large Midwestern city in the United States. Adolescents self-identified as female (50%), Caucasian (57%), approximately 15% reported that they had a disability they received school accommodation for, and 18% self-identified as a sexual minority. They completed self-report questionnaires on their sexting behaviors, depressive symptoms, and non-suicidal self-harm. Findings revealed that non-consensual and pressured sexting were positively related to depressive symptoms and non-suicidal self-harm, whereas consensual sexting was unrelated to these outcomes. Boys engaged in more non-consensual sexting compared with girls, girls were more pressured to send sexts compared with boys, and sexual minority adolescents reported greater consensual sexting compared with non-sexual minority adolescents. Moderating effects revealed that girls, non-minority adolescents, and non-sexual minority adolescents experienced greater depressive symptoms and non-suicidal self-harm when they experienced pressured sexting. These findings underscore the importance of considering various types of sexting and adolescents’ demographic variables when examining the negative outcomes of sexting. Disentangling the relationships among different types of sexting, depressive symptoms, and self-harm helps aid in the development of evidence-based recommendations for sexting harm prevention and sexual education programs.
... Research has shown that delinquent and deviant behaviors [26,27], such as substance use [26,28], for example, are likely to elevate sexting risk in adolescents. To illustrate, Woodward et al.'s [26] findings indicated that delinquency, alcohol, marijuana use, and bullying increased adolescents' odds of sending and receiving nude photos. ...
... Research has shown that delinquent and deviant behaviors [26,27], such as substance use [26,28], for example, are likely to elevate sexting risk in adolescents. To illustrate, Woodward et al.'s [26] findings indicated that delinquency, alcohol, marijuana use, and bullying increased adolescents' odds of sending and receiving nude photos. ...
... Research has shown that delinquent and deviant behaviors [26,27], such as substance use [26,28], for example, are likely to elevate sexting risk in adolescents. To illustrate, Woodward et al.'s [26] findings indicated that delinquency, alcohol, marijuana use, and bullying increased adolescents' odds of sending and receiving nude photos. The study also found that females who had participated in sexting behavior were more likely to consume alcohol while males were more likely to report using marijuana and being identified as bullies [26]. ...
Adolescent sexting is a serious public health concern and is associated with adverse psychosocial outcomes, including depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, declining academic performances, and health problems. Effective prevention of sexting requires a comprehensive and deep understanding of the multiple contexts whereby sexting is likely to occur. The present study explores individual and contextual risk and protective factors that are associated with sexting behavior among a large sample of adolescents. Participants were high school students in midwestern U.S. (N = 2,501; LGB n = 309, 76.4% female; Non-LGB n = 2,192, 47.4% female) who completed self-report measures of sexting and risk (e.g., pornography exposure, impulsivity) and protective (e.g., social support) factors. Path analysis models were conducted with the sexting outcome for groups of LGB and Non-LGB students. Among LGB students, results indicated a significant association between sexting and parental monitoring (b = -.08, p<.01); pornography exposure (b = .13, p<.01); dating partners (b = .01, p<.01); bullying perpetration (b = .17, p<.001); and delinquency (b = .13; p<.001). Among Non-LGB students, significant associations were found between sexting and alcohol/substance use (b = .05, p<.01); bullying (b = .08, p<.001); and delinquency (b = .06, p < .001). Moderation analyses suggest that parental monitoring may have a buffering effect between sexting and several risk factors. Recommendations for practitioners include considering the protective factors of sexting perpetration and encouraging appropriate levels of parental monitoring and the continued importance of bullying and alcohol and drug prevention programming to decrease risk factors of sexting perpetration.
... For example, regarding sex, although some studies suggest that males were considerably more likely to practice sexting (Gregg, Somers, Pernice, Hillman, & Kernsmith, 2018;Patrick, Heywood, Pitts, & Mitchell, 2015;West et al., 2014), others suggest that, on the contrary, females were more likely to participate in the practice (Reyns, Henson, & Fisher, 2014;Ybarra & Mitchell, 2014), or that sex was not a significant correlate (Baumgartner et al., 2014;Benotsch, Snipes, Martin, & Bull, 2013;Gámez-Guadix & Mateos-Pérez, 2019;Hinduja & Patchin, 2010;Lenhart, 2009;Ricketts, Maloney, Marcum, & Higgins, 2015). Regarding age, while some studies suggest the prevalence of sexting increased considerably with age (Bianchi, Morelli, Baiocco, & Chirumbolo, 2019;Cox Communications, 2009;Dake, Price, Mazriaz, & Ward, 2012;Gámez-Guadix & Mateos-Pérez, 2019;Gregg et al., 2018;Mitchell et al., 2012;Rice et al., 2012Vanden Abeele, Campbell, Eggermont, & Roe, 2014Wood, Barter, Stanley, Aghtaie, & Larkins, 2015), 1 other studies suggest no significant correlation (Benotsch et al., 2013;Gordon-Messer, Bauermeister, Grodzinski, & Zimmerman, 2013;Morelli et al., 2016b;Ricketts et al., 2015;Woodward, Evans, & Brooks, 2017). Regarding the use of the internet and technological communication devices, it has generally been found that: adolescents who used the internet more frequently were more likely to practice sexting (Baumgartner, Sumter, Peter, & Valkenburg, 2012;Baumgartner et al., 2014); the frequency of sending text messages positively correlated with the sending of sexts (Dake et al., 2012;Martínez-Prather & Vandiver, 2014;Rice et al., 2018;Strassberg, Cann, & Velarde, 2017;West et al., 2014) 2 ; and internet addiction issues correlated with increased sexting (Ricketts et al., 2015). ...
... In general, there is a lack of research on sexting correlates concerning family situation and schooling. Family composition has sometimes been considered, with some studies suggesting that children of single-parent families were more likely to be involved in sexting (Chaudhary et al., 2017;Dake et al., 2012;Vanden Abeele et al., 2014;Woodward et al., 2017), though other studies suggest that family composition was not significantly correlated (Van Ouytsel, Van Gool, Ponnet, & Walrave, 2014). Campbell and Park (2014) examined family connectivity in relation to adolescent sexting via the social emancipation model, with researchers identifying a negative association between mobile contact with family members and sexting. ...
... Regarding schooling aspects, we analyzed performance expectations in the school subjects of Math and Spanish in relation to sexting. In future research, it would be interesting to further explore whether better social and communicative skills, associated with better performance in language subjects, contribute to increased involvement in sexting (see Woodward et al., 2017). It is, indeed, possible that adolescents with better communication skills send and receive more sexts, as some studies have already suggested that personality factors, such as extraversion (Olatunde & Balogun, 2017;Delevi & Weisskirch, 2013), are related to the prevalence of sexting. ...
Introduction
This research analyzes the prevalence of sexting and socio-demographic correlates in a sample of 647 adolescents administered a questionnaire at secondary schools in Valencia (Spain).
Methods
The questionnaire results indicate that 61% of respondents reported being involved in at least one case of sexting, with 24, 58, and 18% reporting having sent a sext, received a sext, and forwarded a sext, respectively.
Results
More males and older adolescents reported having received and forwarded sexts than female and younger adolescents.
Conclusions
Furthermore, time spent using Information and Communications Technology (ICT) devices, use and frequency of use of social media, grade repetition, low academic performance expectations in Math, and a single-parent family situation appear to correlate with an increase in the prevalence of sexting experiences.
Policy Implications
Our study also provides results that can support new lines of inquiry into analyzing the relationship between sexting and certain socio-demographic, family situation, and educational variables in relation to adolescents.
... In general, receiving sexts seems to be more frequent than sending them or forwarding them on ( Barrense- Dias et al., 2017). Between 5% ( Rice et al., 2012) and 31% (Woodward, Evans, & Brooks, 2017) of young people report sending sexts, 7% ( Mitchell et al., 2012) to 49% (Lippman & Campbell, 2014;Woodward et al., 2017) report receiving them, and 2% (Lippman & Campbell, 2014) to 25% (Strassberg, Cann, & Velarde, 2017) report third-party forwarding of sexting media. In addition, the possibility of sending sexual content without consent is 12% and the possibility of receiving sexual content without consent is 8.4% (Madigan et al., 2018). ...
... In general, receiving sexts seems to be more frequent than sending them or forwarding them on ( Barrense- Dias et al., 2017). Between 5% ( Rice et al., 2012) and 31% (Woodward, Evans, & Brooks, 2017) of young people report sending sexts, 7% ( Mitchell et al., 2012) to 49% (Lippman & Campbell, 2014;Woodward et al., 2017) report receiving them, and 2% (Lippman & Campbell, 2014) to 25% (Strassberg, Cann, & Velarde, 2017) report third-party forwarding of sexting media. In addition, the possibility of sending sexual content without consent is 12% and the possibility of receiving sexual content without consent is 8.4% (Madigan et al., 2018). ...
... In contrast, the third-party forwarding of sexual content presents a clear danger associated with sexting because intimate sexual/ personal content can spread quickly and be viewed by unintended recipients, increasing the audience and affecting the reputation of the victim (Van Ouytsel et al., 2014). As a result of this diffusion, sexting is associated with other possible consequences such as blackmail, extortion, bullying or cyberbullying (Kopecký, 2015;Medrano, Lopez Rosales, & Gámez-Guadix, 2018;West et al., 2014;Woodward et al., 2017). Thus, it is important to consider third-party forwarding of content when investigating sexting ( Strassberg et al., 2017). ...
Introduction
Sexting is a new way to explore sexuality among adolescents that can be associated with bullying behaviors. Previous studies have focused on peer‐victimization but relationships between bullying and different forms of sexting have not been explored. This study evaluates the reciprocal relationships between the perpetration of traditional bullying, cyberbullying, and four forms of sexting (sending, receiving, third‐party forwarding, and receiving sexts via an intermediary).
Methods
The sample consisted of 1736 Spanish High School students (46.3% female; Mage = 13.60, SD = 1.25). Four direct questions were used to assess sexting, the EBIPQ to measure traditional bullying and the ECIPQ to evaluate cyberbullying. These measures were completed twice, four months apart. A cross‐lagged panel analysis evaluated the reciprocal associations of all study measures.
Results
Traditional bullying and cyberbullying were positively, reciprocally associated with each other. Generally, those young people who engaged in sexting at T1 were more likely to report engaging in sexting at T2. Third‐party forwarding of sexts (forwarding on sexts which have been sent to a young person by others) displays clear relationships with bullying. Young people who reported using traditional bullying behaviours at T1 were more likely to report third‐party forwarding of sexual content at T2. Bullies are more likely to later report third‐party forwarding of sexts.
Conclusions
A focus on bullying behavior may be important for intervention efforts targeting to prevent possible negative outcomes of engaging in sexting. Recommendations are provided for educational and prevention efforts.
... Rezultati našeg istraživanja ukazuju na značajnu, ali umjerenu predikciju primanja seksualno eksplicitnog sadržaja objašnjenju problema u ponašanju i odnosima kod adolescenata. Ovo je u skladu s prethodnim istraživanjima (23,24,37) koja su utvrdila povezanost između primanja seksualno eksplicitnih poruka i lošijeg psihosocijalnog funkcioniranja mladih. Međutim, važno je također uzeti u obzir mogućnost da je primanje ovih poruka bilo ne-particularly vulnerable to the risk of online sexual victimization (36). ...
... The results of our study indicate a significant, albeit moderate, prediction of receiving sexually explicit content as an explanation for behavior and relationship problems in adolescents. This is consistent with previous studies (23,24,37) that have observed an association between receiving sexually explicit messages and poor-željeno na što ukazuju rezultati nekih studija (24) koji ističu da samo primanje neželjenih poruka može biti povezano s lošijim psihosocijalnim funkcioniranjem, osobito u kontekstu depresije, impulzivnosti, hostilnosti, emocionalne disregulacije i agresivnog temperamenta. Stoga adolescenti mogu doživjeti primanje takvih poruka kao emocionalno uznemirujuće, što može rezultirati određenim poteškoćama u socijalnim odnosima. ...
... Final publication is available from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.: http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2023.0412 Some of the serious consequences of this unwanted exposure are sextortion, blackmail, loss of reputation, victimization in dating violence, victimization in bullying and/or cyberbullying, and a lasting psychological impact, especially since the content can reappear repeatedly after first being posted, and can even drive some adolescents to suicide (20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25). There may also be legal consequences for the person who forwards the content (26,27). ...
... Besides the fact that content featuring women and girls is forwarded without their consent more often (12,14), the consequences tend to be far more damaging for girls. They are more likely to receive insults and humiliation, far more affecting their reputation (25,31). ...
Sexting is a form of intimate communication available in today’s digital society consisting of exchanging erotic-sexual content online. However, doing it without the consent of the person appearing in the content is becoming a normalised form of cyberviolence among adolescents. To advance our understanding of this phenomenon, further research is needed on its facilitating factors, which may include those related to its potential moral dimension and online disinhibition. This study aims to analyse, according to gender and age, the relationship between non-consensual forwarding of erotic-sexual content, differentiating between the type of content and the gender of the person appearing in it, moral disengagement, and toxic online disinhibition. A total of 1,611 adolescents (47.9% girls) aged 12-15 years (M = 13.4; SD = 1.0) participated. Moral disengagement and toxic disinhibition have been shown to facilitate non-consensual forwarding of erotic-sexual content, but their relevance varies depending on the type of content and whether girls or boys appear in it. Facilitating factors for non-consensual forwarding of content featuring boys were age, the diffusion of the consequences and toxic online disinhibition. For girls, identifying with the male gender and cognitive restructuring were the main facilitators. These findings represent an original advance in the field of study by discriminating between the type of content forwarded and the gender of the person who appears in it. The differences found contribute towards explaining the processes that lead to making immoral decisions when sexting and help lay the foundations for designing psycho-educational programs in the future.
... Consequently, most efforts should be directed in this area to prevent and effectively intervene in sexting behaviors. As a result of this dissemination, sexting is also associated with other potential risks which can aggravate its possible consequences, such as blackmail, extortion, bullying, and cyberbullying (Döring, 2014;Kopecký, 2015;Medrano et al., 2018;Montiel et al., 2016;Strassberg et al., 2013;West et al., 2014;Woodward et al., 2017). ...
... Thus, addressing sexting as an integral component of sex education programs provides young people with information about the phenomenon and how to tackle it safely, instead of evading it or encouraging the negative views held by many adolescents about sexting. Given the correlation between sexting and traditional or digital risks, such as bullying and cyberbullying (e.g., Rodríguez-Castro et al., 2017;Woodward et al., 2017), introducing sexting into preventive programs that address other associated risksadopting an integrated approach-is also recommended (e.g., Dake et al., 2012;West et al., 2014). ...
Sexting has become a new form of intimate interaction in line with contemporary communication methods. This phenomenon often leads to positive outcomes, but it can also have negative repercussions depending on the situation, such as the context of the relationship, and whether it is consensual or coercive. Despite this, the main types of sexting behaviors (sending, receiving, and third-party forwarding) must be addressed in order to promote safe and healthy practices. However, the approach to tackling this phenomenon remains unclear. This systematic review sought to summarize the lines of action proposed or conducted in the scientific literature to address sexting, to help researchers and educators create and evaluate effective programs. A systematic search of 21 databases was conducted; only articles relating to sexting education, prevention, and intervention among child and adolescent populations were considered. In total, 456 articles were identified, 91 of which were included for the purposes of this research. The results highlighted a need to respond to the aforementioned sexting behaviors and to tackle the resulting conflict situations. Although interventions across different areas are recommended (e.g., health, family, policies, legal advice, law enforcement, technology experts, and even society as a whole), most studies agree that school is the most practical setting for intervention. Thus, the 15 lines of action identified in this systematic review must all be considered to effectively address sexting in childhood and adolescence.
... 12 Fewer studies have examined the association between sexting and behavioral problems (i.e., conduct disorder [CD], oppositional defiant disorder). A recent metaanalysis, based on three studies, [14][15][16] reported a significant pooled effect size (OR ¼ 2.50, 95% CI, 1.29 to 4.86) for the association between sexting and delinquent behavior. 4 Based on problem behavior theory, 17,18 adolescents who engage in problem behaviors such as impulsive behaviors, aggressive behaviors, or substance use are more likely to report higher numbers of sexual partners and earlier age of sexual debut. ...
... Differences observed in sexting across race/ethnicity are also inconclusive 16,24,29,30 with some racial/ethnic minority adolescents, such as Asian/Pacific Islander adolescents report lower levels of sexting compared to White adolescents, 31 while other racial/ethnic minority adolescents such as Black/African American adolescents report higher rates of sexting compared to White adolescents 29 and Hispanic adolescents. 24 The limited contexts in which this question has been studied (e.g., most studies are conducted in the United States where the demographic composition is very different from other countries) suggest the need to examine differences in sexting behaviors across racial/ethnic subgroups and across national contexts. ...
Objectives:
To examine the prevalence and correlates of sending and receiving sexts (i.e., sexually explicit images) in a provincially representative sample of adolescents in Canada.
Methods:
Data from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study, a provincial survey of households with children in Ontario, which includes a sample of 2,537 adolescents aged 14 to 17 years (mean age = 15.42, male = 51.6%) were used to address the research objectives.
Results:
The past 12 months prevalence of sending and receiving sexts was 14.4% and 27.0%, respectively. In unadjusted logistic regression analyses, non-White adolescents and those living in low-income households were less likely to send or receive sexts compared to White and non-low-income adolescents. Adolescents who disclosed their sexual and/or gender minority identities were 3 to 4 times more likely to send and receive sexts than youth who had not disclosed these identities. Higher levels of mental health problems generally observed among adolescents who sent or received sexts. In fully adjusted models, low income and ethnic minority status were associated with reduced odds of sending and receiving sexts, while sexual and/or gender minority disclosure status was associated with increased odds. Social anxiety was associated with reduced odds of sending and receiving sexts, while conduct disorder was associated with elevated odds.
Conclusion:
The prevalence of sexting behavior was higher among adolescents who disclosed their sexual or gender minority identities. Sexting behaviors were associated with higher levels of mental health problems. Identifying vulnerable populations and the potential mental health ramifications associated with sexting behavior is vital to mitigating negative sequelae.
... Involvement rates are highly varied, largely because of the wide range of attributable meanings (Barrense-Dias et al., 2017). When sexting is defined as the sending of sexual content, prevalence ranges from 4.6 (Rice et al., 2012) to 31% (Woodward et al., 2017). Receiving rates go anywhere from 7.1 to 49% (Lippman and Campbell, 2014;Woodward et al., 2017), whereas prevalence rates for forwarding sexual content range from 2.3 (Lippman and Campbell, 2014) to 25% (Strassberg et al., 2017). ...
... When sexting is defined as the sending of sexual content, prevalence ranges from 4.6 (Rice et al., 2012) to 31% (Woodward et al., 2017). Receiving rates go anywhere from 7.1 to 49% (Lippman and Campbell, 2014;Woodward et al., 2017), whereas prevalence rates for forwarding sexual content range from 2.3 (Lippman and Campbell, 2014) to 25% (Strassberg et al., 2017). These variations are partly linked to the increasing frequency of sexting in recent years (Clancy et al., 2019). ...
Sexting refers to the exchange of sexual content material via technological devices. The definitions of this phenomenon vary greatly, mainly, depending on the types of sexting: primary and secondary. Besides the above, there is no common perspective on whether sexting is a risk behavior that entails some type of impact by itself or not and, in such a case, whether this impact varies according to gender. In addition, the need to be popular has shown to be a factor that could increase the probability of being involved in sexting. The present study analyzes the potential emotional impact of sexting as well as the effect of the need for popularity on this phenomenon and if it varies according to gender. The sample comprised 2,356 high school students (46.8% female, 53.2% male; age range 11–18 years old, M = 13.72; SD = 1.31) belonging to 12 compulsory secondary education (ESO) schools from the south of Spain. To assess sexting implication, four questions were presented to participants (sending, receiving, forwarding, and receiving sexts via intermediary). Scales, self-report, about emotional impact (depressed, annoyed, and active) and need for popularity were also applied. The results obtained show that, although sexting has a clear emotional impact on adolescents, it does not appear to generate a negative impact among those involved, at least in the short term. Concretely, this phenomenon seems to trigger emotions related to activation in boys and girls (I feel lively, energetic, satisfied, ready, determined, active). Additionally, with respect to the need for popularity, its relevance, specially, in relation to active emotional impact has been confirmed by the analyses. Statistical models found for boys and girls were similar. In addition, some differences in emotional impact by gender were found, girls feeling more depressed and annoyed in secondary sexting, and boys more active regarding both types of sexting.
... Factors. Although victimization offers an undeniable explanatory capacity for understanding perpetration behavior-that is, violence begets violence-previous studies have also identified the existence of personal factors, behavioral attributes, and contextual factors related to perpetration in NCS [8,30]. One such personal factor is empathy, defined as understanding and sharing another person's feelings [31]. ...
Social networks have become integral to adolescent communication, with sexting -defined as the exchange of sexual content - emerging as a common practice. While consensual sexting is often viewed as a form of sexual expression, nonconsensual sexting represents a significant type of digital violence. This study examined the relationship between NCS victimization and perpetration among adolescents and explored the moderating roles of empathy and toxic online disinhibition, considering differences by gender and age group. This cross-sectional study collected data in 2023 from 2488 Spanish cisgender adolescents (50.1% girls and 49.9% boys) aged 11-18 (M = 14 07, SD = 1 39). Self-report questionnaires were administered to measure nonconsensual sexting victimization and perpetration, empathy, and toxic online disinhibition. A regression-based moderation analysis was performed to explore the interactions between these variables. The model indicated a positive association between nonconsensual sexting victimization and perpetration among adolescents. Furthermore, both empathy and toxic online disinhibition significantly moderated this relation. Multigroup analyses indicated that the moderating effect of empathy weakened the victimization-perpetration link, but only among boys, while toxic online disinhibition strengthened it, but only in earlier adolescents. These findings underscore the importance of developmentally and gender-sensitive prevention programs that address both risk and protective factors involved in nonconsensual sexting.
... Problematic alcohol use has long been linked to sexual offending behavior given its negative effect on judgment, inhibition, and perceptions of consent (e.g., Tharp et al., 2013). While the relationship between alcohol use and general sexting behavior has been investigated (e.g., Dir et al., 2013;Englander, 2012;Woodward et al., 2017), investigations into the role of alcohol use with respect to NCIID perpetration are comparatively limited. One largescale study with Danish youth aged 12-25 (N = 61,289) found that binge drinking increased the odds of sharing an intimate image without permission by a factor of 1.6 (Harder et al., 2019). ...
Identifying risk factors associated with non-consensual intimate image dissemination (NCIID) perpetration is an important step in the development of effective intervention programming with the goal of reducing this behavior. Using the motivation–facilitation model of sexual offending as a framework, the current study explored the extent to which theoretically relevant correlates of sexual offending contributed to the perpetration of NCIID. A sample of 1200 adults residing in Canada recruited from a Qualtrics panel reported their prior engagement in NCIID and completed a battery of questionnaires encompassing sexual motivators (e.g., paraphilias, hypersexuality) and facilitators (e.g., antagonistic personality traits, misogynistic attitudes toward sex and women, and alcohol use). The findings highlight NCIID as a relevant problem with 1 in 20 respondents reporting sharing or forwarding an intimate image without permission in the previous 12 months. When controlling for other risk factors, beliefs of sexual entitlement, hypersexuality, the antisocial facet of psychopathy, hostility toward women, and problematic alcohol use were associated with greater odds of self-reported NCIID perpetration. Overall, findings suggested an overlap between risk factors associated with in-person sexual offending and NCIID. Existing sexual offending interventions may therefore be applicable to the prevention and management of NCIID.
... It shows that the average prevalence of sending erotic-sexual content is 19.3%, receiving 34.8% and non-consensual forwarding 14.5%. Despite this, depending on the study these rates can be much larger, e.g., higher than 50% in sending (Dodaj et al., 2020;Maheux et al., 2020), higher than 49% in receiving (Douglass et al., 2020;Woodward et al., 2017), or higher than 25% in nonconsensual forwarding (Penado et al., 2019;Strassberg et al., 2017). Hence, differences in measurement instruments make comparison between studies difficult (Barrense-Dias et al., 2017;Madigan et al., 2018). ...
Background: The proliferation of sexting among adolescents around the world today has woven a complex tapestry of sexual expression and exploration. However, its implications extend beyond consensual engagement, occasionally manifesting as a form of cyberviolence. Varied prevalence rates further complicate our understanding of the extent of youth sexting worldwide. Therefore, this study aims to provide a tool to measure sexting in young people from different countries by validating the Sexting Behaviours and Motives Questionnaire (SBM-Q), a comprehensive instrument that captures the diversity of consensual and non-consensual sexting behaviors and motives in different countries. Method: A total of 4739 students, aged 15 to 25, participated. They were from Spain (1563), Croatia (1598), and Bosnia and Herzegovina (1578). Confirmatory factor analyses and multigroup analyses were conducted. Results: The validity of the instrument was confirmed, endorsing its six-factor structure, which includes the dimensions of sending, reasons for sending, victimization by non-consensual forwarding, receiving, forwarding, and reasons for forwarding. Internal consistency across the three countries further underscores the robustness of the SBM-Q. Conclusions: This validated questionnaire provides a reliable measure for understanding sexting behaviors and motives in different countries. Cultural nuances are discussed.
... High school females involved in sexual practice were previous victims of bullying and were mainly alcohol addicts. Similarly, males were previous bullying perpetrators and marijuana users (Woodward, Evans & Brooks, 2017). ...
Medical students attending university for the first time experience a new environment, full of significant social, cultural, and intellectual challenges. Moreover, drug abuse and bullying among university students are major global concerns. The aim of the current study was to assess the impact of medicolegal issues on undergraduate and postgraduate students. It is a cross-sectional survey-based study, with each set of questions investigating cognitive functions, aggression, personality, and exposure to medicolegal issues. Males and those with a chronic disease have been significantly exposed to medicolegal issues; exposed students were significantly older than nonexposed ones. The scores of aggression were significantly higher among exposed and male students. The cognitive scores were higher for the students from rural areas than in urban areas, and females were more neurotic than males. The current study recommends conducting campaigns to educate university students on the importance of formally disclosing unethical behaviors and listening to the victims to facilitate overcoming their negative feelings. As many victims feel comfortable disclosing victimization to their friends, we recommend conducting peer educational programs to help friends support their colleagues regarding unethical misconduct.
... Interpretation of these findings is difficult due to a lack of prior research investigating all three types of sexting in one analysis. Our findings are aligned with studies revealing positive correlations among sexting, sexual risk behaviors, and depressive symptoms and non-suicidal self-harm (Del Rey et al., 2019;Englander, 2012;Frankel et al., 2018;Woodward et al., 2017). However, because we did not find that consensual sexting was related to depression, this result is not consistent with previous research (Frankel et al., 2018;Gamez-Guadix et al., 2017;Medrano et al., 2018;Ybarra & Mitchell, 2014). ...
The present study investigated the moderating effect of adolescent demographic variables in the longitudinal associations among different types of sexting, mental health (i.e., depression, self-harm, subjective health complaints), and sexual risk behaviors. There were 1113 adolescents (ages 14-17 years; Mage = 16.36; SD age = .81; 50% female) from six high schools located in the United States included in this study. Adolescents completed questionnaires on their sexting behaviors, mental health, and sexual risk behaviors during the ninth grade; in tenth grade, they completed questionnaires on mental health and sexual risk behaviors. Non-consensual sexting and pressured sexting were both related positively to each of the mental health variables and sexual risk behaviors. The relationship between non-consensual sexting and depressive symptoms was stronger for girls, ethnic minorities, those adolescents with disabilities, and sexual minorities. Similar patterns were found for pres-sured sexting, non-suicidal self-harm, and subjective health complaints. The relationships between pressured sexting and sexual risk behaviors were stronger for girls, ethnic minorities, those adolescents with disabilities, and those who identified as sexual minorities. Research focused on the relationships among different types of sexting, mental health, and sexual risk behaviors is important as such research facilitates the development of evidence-based recommendations for sexting harm prevention and sexual education programs.
... Sexual emoji refers to icons/images/symbols that are generally accepted as having sexual connotations (Thompson, 2018). Put another way, certain icons connote visual sexual metaphors (Woodward et al., 2017). Many adolescents are well acquainted with the 'basics' of emoji sexting ciphers, but for the purposes of clarity, these emojis will be explained as follows: The researcher has judiciously selected only several sexual emoji narratives, as illustrated in the above table. ...
Sexting is a risky sexual behaviour which is easily identifiable and very common amongst adolescents growing up in the 21st century. It is a relatively new phenomenon, however, scholarly research into this topic has definitely burgeoned over the recent years. Scholars who have researched into this field have often questioned whether sexting is detrimental or harmless to the developing adolescent. To answer this question, sexting needs to be explored in more depth. In this theoretical paper, sexting will be briefly delineated, followed by a brief discussion, whereby the following topics will be deliberated: motives relating to sexting, adolescent sexting shorthand, potential risk factors and potential ramifications for adolescents, gender considerations pertaining to sexting, and the legal ramifications with regards to sexting. Finally, a succinct discourse regarding intervention will be accentuated, whereby online safety for adolescents will be particularly underscored. The significance of this article is that it extends existing knowledge into the area under investigation.
... There is an emphasis in the literature on the harm to adolescent populations, especially adolescent girls [7]. On one hand, research suggests a myriad of negative consequences associated with sexting behaviour, including risky sexual behaviours [6], negative psychosocial consequences including depression, anxiety, and unwanted sexual solicitation [4,[8][9][10], cyberbullying victimization [11][12][13], and in-person bullying, otherwise known simply as bullying [14]. On the other hand, consensual sexting in both adolescents and young adults can be healthy [15,16], utilized as a form of sexual experimentation, and bypass risks associated with having sex, such as unplanned pregnancies and STDs [17]. ...
The exchange of intimate messages, images, and videos via digital means, also referred to as sexting, has drawn considerable academic attention in recent years. Specifically, cross-sectional research has indicated that sexting can be associated with harmful outcomes such as depression, anxiety, and cyberbullying. However, there is currently limited empirical research examining the causal relationship between these factors, and to date, there has been no systematic review of the longitudinal studies on sexting. Thus, the purpose of this review is to summarise and review the current research addressing long-term outcomes and predictors of sexting. A systematic search of databases was conducted. Eight databases were searched, with twenty-four longitudinal studies meeting the inclusion criteria and thus included in this review. The quality of individual studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal tool. Overall, longitudinal research into sexting is scarce, and variability in definitions, measured variables, and sample demographics have created challenges in achieving consensus across variables. For example, findings were inconclusive regarding causal relationships between sexting, cyberbullying/bullying, and psychological health outcomes. Findings indicated that positive peer norms predicted sexting and that sexting was predictive of future offline sexual behaviours. Future longitudinal research would benefit from differentiating between consensual and non-consensual sexting behaviours in measurement. Future prevention efforts should focus on addressing peer norms that develop around sexting behaviours.
... Despite these functions, there is evidence that sexting may not always occur without risks (Dake et al., 2012). For example, sexting appears to be related to increased anxiety and depression among adults (Gassó, 2021) and drug consumption (Morelli et al., 2016;Temple & Choi, 2014;Temple et al., 2012;Woodward et al., 2017). Relevant to the present research, sexting is also linked to risky online and offline sexual behaviors (Klettke et al., 2014). ...
Non-consensual dissemination of sexual materials – or sexts – via technology represents a crime with psychological and social consequences for the victims, mostly women. Commonly, non-consensual dissemination of sexts results from sexting, i.e., the practice of sharing sexually explicit materials via mobile and internet technologies. The literature so far has provided inconsistent results on the implication of this practice, and it remains unclear under which conditions sexting may represent a risk for suffering non-consensual dissemination of sexts. Based on objectification theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997), we investigated whether the relationship between sexting and experiences of non-consensual dissemination of sexts in young women (N = 351) would be moderated by self-objectification, i.e., the consideration of themselves as a sexual object rather than a fully human being. Overall, results revealed that the link between sexting behaviors and experiences of non-consensual dissemination of sexts was significant only for women with high levels of self-objectification, suggesting that women who reduce themselves to sexual objects were more likely to have experienced non-consensual dissemination of sexts due to sexting behaviors. Implications of results are discussed.
... The commonly cited potential risks associated with sexting are those relating to distribution of a sext without permission from the sender and/or cyberbullying (Berlatsky, 2015;Van Ouytsel et al., 2017;Walsh, 2019). There are also reports of coercion (Klettke et al., 2019;Morelli et al., 2016;Woodward et al., 2017). Sexts can also be used as a form of blackmail with the threat of sharing the sext with others if the individual's desires are unfulfilled (Van Ouytsel et al., 2017). ...
This qualitative study explores the sexting experiences of college-aged students with attention to gendered understandings and motivations of sexting. We gathered data on the decision-making process, relational contexts in which sexting occurred, body-image management, and perceived outcomes of past experiences. Participants in this study were asked to describe two experiences of sexting behavior in short vignettes, and then they were prompted to respond to additional questions about the vignette and sexting. A total of 342 vignettes were read and analyzed using discourse analytic strategies of reading for positioning, construction of discourses, and implied actions.
... Cross-sectional studies have shown associations between sexting (images and text messages) and (cyber)bullying (Dake, Price, Maziarz, & Ward, 2012;Wachs & Wolf, 2015;West et al., 2014). Another cross-sectional study found a relationship between sending and receiving sexts (images) and a composite measure of cyberbullying and offline bullying perpetration and victimization, respectively (Woodward, Evans, & Brooks, 2017). A recent longitudinal study by Gámez-Guadix and Mateos-Pérez (2019) found among a sample of youth between 12 and 14 years old that the sending of sexting messages, defined as written text messages, images, or videos, was significantly associated with cyberbullying victimization in the following year. ...
Introduction
While adolescent sexting, or the sending of sexually explicit images, has been cross‐sectionally associated with bullying and cyberbullying, there is a lack of longitudinal studies in this area. To address this gap in the literature, we examined the longitudinal link between sexting and 1) traditional, in‐person, bullying victimization and 2) cyberbullying victimization.
Methods
We used data from a longitudinal study of ethnically diverse adolescents recruited from multiple public high schools in southeast Texas. Three waves of data were used (T2, T3 and T4). Cross‐lagged panel analysis was performed in Mplus to analyze the data.
Results & Conclusions
Cross‐lagged panel analyses identified autoregressive effects for all three variables, and cross‐lagged effects for cyberbullying. Sexting was associated with subsequent cyberbullying victimization across all time points, and T3 cyberbullying victimization was associated with engagement in sexting one year later. Furthermore, T2 cyberbullying victimization indirectly associated with T4 sexting via T3 cyberbullying victimization. For traditional bullying, a cross‐lagged effect was found between T3 sexting and T4 offline bullying victimization. Although T2 sexting did not directly link to subsequent traditional bullying victimization, a significant mediation effect was identified such that T3 sexting mediated the effects of T2 sexting on T4 traditional bullying victimization. Results show that sexting adolescents may be at risk for (cyber)bullying victimization and highlight the need to address both sexting and bullying in prevention and intervention efforts.
... Así, se evidencia la relación directa del Sexting con otros fenómenos; ya que, los comportamientos de Sexting pueden derivar en situaciones de Sextorsión, de Bullying o de Ciberbullying (ver también Bailey & Hanna, 2011;Reyns, Henson, & Fisher, 2014). Además, parece que existe una bidireccionalidad entre estos fenómenos y el Sexting, ya que se ha mostrado que sufrir Bullying o el Ciberbullying incrementa las probabilidades de participar en comportamientos de Sexting (Dake et al., 2014;Woodward, Evans, & Brooks, 2016) En definitiva, es necesario seguir investigando el fenómeno del Sexting en adolescentes con el fin de tener más información sobre esta conducta emergente. Solo indagando en las dinámicas de Sexting adolescentes se podrá proporcionar más y mejores herramientas a la comunidad educativa y a los y las más jóvenes, que les permitan llevar a cabo conductas online seguras. ...
El objetivo de esta investigación es evaluar las motivaciones de los/as adolescentes para llevar a cabo comportamientos de Sexting; así como, analizar su percepción sobre los motivos más frecuentes que la gente de su edad alude para sextear, analizando las diferencias según el género y la localización. Participaron un total de 1286 estudiantes de la Provincia de Ourense, con una media de edad de 15.63 (DT: 1.35). Los resultados apuntan motivos muy diversos y variados, identificando a los chicos como más sexters en relación al envío de textos erótico sexuales.
... Participants who were raised in urban areas were more likely to have received sexts than participants from rural areas. While literature has reported that rates of generally risky behaviours among young people are higher in rural areas than in urban areas (Woodward, Evans, & Brooks, 2016), this study found that urban life exposed participants of this study more to receiving sexts than rural life. More in-depth research is needed to explore the influence of growing up in a rural vs. urban area on sexting behaviour. ...
Little is known about sexting behaviours among young people living in African countries. This exploratory study investigated sexting behaviours among undergraduate students in Botswana (N = 309, 64.5% female; mean age = 20.3 years). Most participants (84.8%) had received sexts and many (61.8%) had sent sexts at least once in their lifetime. Reasons for sending sexts were to flirt (42.9%), to have fun (24.6%), and/or to initiate sexual activity (17.8%). Only 36.7% of the participants were worried about their sexts being forwarded to others, and 30.2% had forwarded sexts to others. Being sexually active (OR = 4.52), drinking alcohol (OR = 2.52), and having a mother with tertiary level education (OR = 0.40) emerged as significant predictors of sending sexts. Among participants who had sexual intercourse at least once in their lifetime (N = 164), an increase in the frequency of sexting was associated with an increase in the number of sexual partners and with sex under the influence of alcohol and drugs. However, sexting behaviours were not associated with unprotected sex. The results are compared with findings from Western countries and discussed with regard to public health care and safe sex education in Botswana.
Harmful experiences such as cyberbullying victimization have been associated with the unwanted and non-consensual subset of sexting behaviours known as image-based sexual abuse (IBSA). However, there is little understanding surrounding gender differences in that association. The present study contributes to that understanding through examining gender differences in relationships between IBSA, cyberbullying perpetration, and cyberbullying victimization. Study participants consisted of 1683 young cisgendered adults ( M age = 23.15, SD = 2.23, 52.7% women) who completed an anonymous online survey on sexting and harmful online behaviours. Associations between sext sending/receiving and cyberbullying victimization could be largely accounted for by IBSA victimization, but with unique gendered patterns. Specifically, being a victim of non-consensual sext dissemination and receiving unwanted sexts was found to be associated with cyberbullying victimization for women but not for men. Conversely, pressured sexting and receiving unsolicited sexts via AirDrop was associated with cyberbullying victimization for men, but not women. Finally, cyberbullying perpetration predicted cyberbullying victimization for both genders, but had a stronger association for men, suggesting that the impact of IBSA is gendered and nuanced. Future research should explore the social environments in which IBSA victimization occurs and broader gendered behaviours.
This paper addresses sexting from an interdisciplinary perspective
through a normative analysis of the new criminal offense of the
misuse of recordings of sexually explicit content (Art. 144a, CC)
introduced in 2021 in the Croatian Criminal Code. Based on the
legislative framework and empirical study analysis, we provide
conclusions on the adequacy of the existing criminal provisions with
implications for future research, and present empirical findings from
a 2020 online survey on sexting experiences and risky sexual
behaviour with 724 adolescents (Ngirls = 534, 73,8%) aged 14–22.
Older adolescents reported significantly higher sexting
perpetration. Lower school achievers reported higher sexting
victimization. Non-heterosexual participants reported more sexting
perpetration. Participants with more sexual partners scored higher
for both sexting perpetration and victimization. Sexting perpetration
correlated to the group of older adolescents with lower school
attainment and academic achievement who reported less family
relationships satisfaction. Sexters reported more risky behaviour,
higher media use intensity and more sexual knowledge, but less
sexual media content exposure. Sexting positively correlated to the
number of sexual partners and the relationship duration. Male
gender, older age, risky behaviour, higher media use intensity,
better general sexual knowledge and the number of sexual partners
represented significant predictors of sexting perpetration.
The increased commission of sex crimes in Iran highlights the need for more efforts to design strategies towards prevention and reduction of such crimes. Accordingly, the present research aimed to identify the factors affecting the sexual victimization of children and adolescents as well as to identify the personality characteristics of sex delinquents in the criminal justice system of Iran. The research method is mixed design in terms of data nature (qualitative and quantitative) and practical in terms of purpose. The qualitative section has reviewed the previous literature and the quantitative section has benefited from the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). This research has used the opinions of 13 experts in the field of crimes against children and adolescents, and 43 sex offenders. The research findings led to the identification of six factors (social, economic, psychological, legal, executive, media) that are effective on the prevention and postvention of sexually abused children and adolescents in Iran. The highest rank is related to the economic and social factors, and the lowest rank is related to the media factors. The results of this study showed that the identified parameters are approved by experts and have theoretical support that can be effective in reducing sexual delinquency.
Despite strong concerns that sexting poses risks for adolescents’ well-being, previous research finds mixed results. Moreover, these studies rely heavily on self-report measures and cross-sectional designs. This study utilizes observational methods to examine longitudinal relations between text-based sexting and both negative and positive indicators of psychosocial adjustment. An ethnically diverse sample of 197 adolescents was provided smartphones that captured their text messages across high school, from 2008–2012. Two, two-day samples of text messages from grades 9–12 were content-coded (468,201 total observations). Sexting was defined as sending and receiving text-based statements about past, present, or hypothetical sexual behaviors occurring between dyadic texting partners. Each year, adolescents reported on negative (internalizing, externalizing, and social problems; borderline personality features) and positive (life satisfaction, group belongingness, and positive self-perceptions) indicators of their psychosocial adjustment. Using concurrent and longitudinal multilevel models, greater sexting at one time point than one’s average (within-person) was only associated with lower levels of group belongingness within the same year. For girls only, text-based sexting more than others on average (between-person) was related to increased externalizing symptoms and borderline personality disorder features, as well as decreased life satisfaction, group belongingness, self-perceived social competence, and global self-worth. No within-person differences by gender emerged, nor did longitudinal associations. Future studies and intervention efforts should examine when and why higher sexting might be related to psychosocial problems among girls.
By systematic review with a three-level, mixed-effects meta-analysis, this paper examines the prevalence of sexting experiences among youths aimed at analyzing conceptual and methodological moderators that might explain its heterogeneity. A search was conducted of five bibliographic databases and grey literature up until February 2020. The risk of bias in primary studies was assessed. A total of seventy-nine articles met the set inclusion criteria. Mean prevalences for sending, receiving and forwarding sexts were .14 (95% CI: .12, .17), .31 (95% CI: .26, .36) and .07 (95% CI: .05, .09), respectively, expressed as fractions over one. Moderator analyses showed that all sexting experiences increased with age (e.g., the mean prevalence for sending sexts at the age of 12 was .04, whereas, at the age of 16, it was .21) and year of data collection (e.g., the mean prevalence for sending sexts in studies collecting data in 2009 was .07, whereas, in studies collecting data in 2018, it was .33). Subgroup analysis revealed that studies with probabilistic samples led to significantly lower mean prevalences for the sexting experiences of sending (.08, 95% CI: .06, .11), receiving (.19, 95% CI: .15, .24) and forwarding sexts (.04, 95% CI: .03, .07). Self-reported administration procedures also led to more homogeneous prevalence estimates than interviews. Prevalence estimates also varied according to the type of media content (e.g., the mean prevalence for sending sexual text messages was .22, whereas, for sending sexual images or videos, it was .12). Overall, our meta-analysis results suggest high and increasing prevalences of sending and receiving sexts among youths.
Sexting is a recent phenomenon which is being increasingly accepted as normal and has become another way for adolescents to express and explore their sexuality. Over recent years, it has attracted considerable media attention and the concern of researchers, families and schools in response to the possible risks involved. However, no definitive conclusions have been reached over either its definition as a concept or its possible consequences. In this chapter, we will discuss what exactly this phenomenon consists of.
In this chapter, after discussing the concept of sexting and taking into account all its definitions (from the most restrictive to the most comprehensive), we will explain how frequently this practice occurs in each of its commonest forms: sending, receiving and forwarding messages. In addition, we will describe the importance of peer context and the gender differences which are involved in this phenomenon, as well as commenting on the potential risks of sexting and showing the possible consequences for adolescents of getting involved in this practice. Finally, we will highlight the importance of education in encouraging healthy practices in intimate communication between adolescents. //// Link: https://bit.ly/2KGaCBL
Importance
Sexting is the exchange of sexual messages, photographs, or videos via technological devices and is common and increasing among youth. Although various studies have examined the association between sexting, sexual behaviors, and mental health, results are mixed.
Objective
To provide a meta-analytic synthesis of studies examining the associations between sexting, sexual behavior, and mental health using sex, age, publication date, and study methodological quality as moderators.
Data Sources
Electronic searches were conducted in April 2018 in MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, and Web of Science, yielding 1672 nonduplicate records.
Study Selection
Studies were included if participants were younger than 18 years and an association between sexting and sexual behaviors or mental health risk factors was examined.
Data Extraction and Synthesis
All relevant data were extracted by 2 independent reviewers. Random-effects meta-analyses were used to derive odds ratios (ORs).
Main Outcomes and Measures
Sexual behavior (sexual activity, multiple sexual partners, lack of contraception use) and mental health risk factors (anxiety/depression, delinquent behavior, and alcohol, drug use, and smoking).
Results
Participants totaled 41 723 from 23 included studies. The mean (range) age was 14.9 (11.9-16.8) years, and 21 717 (52.1%) were female. Significant associations were observed between sexting and sexual activity (16 studies; OR, 3.66; 95% CI, 2.71-4.92), multiple sexual partners (5 studies; OR, 5.37; 95% CI, 2.72-12.67), lack of contraception use (6 studies; OR, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.08-4.32), delinquent behavior (3 studies; OR, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.29-4.86), anxiety/depression (7 studies; OR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.41-2.28), alcohol use (8 studies; OR, 3.78; 95% CI, 3.11-4.59), drug use (5 studies; OR, 3.48; 95% CI, 2.24-5.40), and smoking behavior (4 studies; OR, 2.66; 95% CI, 1.88-3.76). Moderator analyses revealed that associations between sexting, sexual behavior, and mental health factors were stronger in younger compared to older adolescents.
Conclusions and Relevance
Results of this meta-analysis suggest that sexting is associated with sexual behavior and mental health difficulties, especially in younger adolescents. Longitudinal research is needed to assess directionality of effects and to analyze the mechanisms by which sexting and its correlates are related. Educational campaigns to raise awareness of digital health, safety, and security are needed to help youth navigate their personal, social, and sexual development in a technological world.
The goal of this study is to examine in greater depth the phenomenon of sexting and its dynamics of cyberviolence in teens' relationships. For this purpose, sexting behaviors, the strategies employed, and the justifications and consequences of sexting as a function of gender and place of origin will be analyzed. Using a qualitative methodology, 20 focus groups were performed, involving 222 teenagers, 54% girls and 46% boys, ranging in age from 14 to 18 years, from schools of Secondary Education (Spain). The results show that sexting is a common practice in adolescents of both genders and also in the context of a relationship. Boys and girls from the urban environment and boys from the rural and semi-rural area send more sexting contents. Boys' main reasons for sexting are to achieve a sexual relationship, whereas the girls' justifications are to have or maintain an emotional relationship. In addition, girls suffer the worst consequences of sexting. Both boys and girls cibercontrol their affectiva partners, though girls expressed it more. Jealousy and distrust of the partner are the main reasons for exercising this cybercontrol.
To date, the majority of the research on sexting is descriptive; yet, there is an emergence of scholarship on the correlates to and consequences of sexting. While etiological underpinnings have yet to be fully conceptualized, The Developmental Vulnerability Theory may be used to explain sexting behavior and other non-sexual violent behavior including dating violence. The DVT posits that early victimization results in vulnerabilities, disinhibiting influences, and conditioning experiences can manifest over time to create propensities for sexual and non-sexual violence. As technological advancements have been made, there are new disinhibiting factors to consider, and, cell phones equipped with the ability to send and receive messages not only provide opportunities for youth to socially interact in a disinhibited manner, but they may exacerbate existing emotional disinhibition for youth with adverse relational histories and resulting vulnerable emotional states. This may contribute to emotional disinhibitions that drive sexting behaviors. Using data on adjudicated youth in a western state (N = 200), this study examined the prevalence rates of sexting, tested associations between developmental adversities, emotional motivations for sexting, and relationship context; and determined the relationship between sexting and dating violence perpetration. Results revealed a range of high and low sexting rates (21% to 73.5%). Early life domestic adversity and physical abuse was associated with more frequent sexting outside of dating relationships (friends and acquaintances). Emotional motivations for sexting was associated more frequent sexting outside of dating relationships. In the final multivariate model, emotional motivations and sexting friends and acquaintances was associated with dating violence. Treatment, policy, and research implications are discussed.
Full text available for a limited time here: http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/nc72pbpecwaFMDcYwcCd/full
In the previous decade, researchers have increased their attention to people's engagement in technology-mediated sexual interaction (TMSI) – the exchange of sexual material via computer and Internet technologies. Inconsistent terminology and measurement across studies, however, has hindered the development of a cohesive knowledge base to inform sexual and relationship clinicians and educators. In this paper, we provide a critical review of the current state of the research on TMSI to identify gaps, clarify terminology, and synthesize current findings in the research. To do this, we conducted a systematic search of empirical literature focused on sexting, cybersex, and phone sex (terms that are consistent with TMSI). To meet inclusion criteria, authors of the studies were required to report on the prevalence of sexting, cybersex, and phone sex in adolescent and/or adult populations. Our findings indicate that TMSI is more prevalent among adults relative to adolescents. We also found that a majority of the studies focused on problematic use of TMSI (e.g. “cybersex addiction”); with comparatively less research examining normative TMSI. Our findings also indicate that many of the studies we systematically reviewed did not specify or differentiate between relationship types in their analyses. We conclude by discussing trends in the results and gaps in the literature that are pertinent to sexual and relationship researchers and clinicians.
Nonostante il crescente interesse pubblico rispetto al coinvolgimento di adolescenti in comportamenti di sexting, la ricerca su questo tema è agli albori e gli studi sono principalmente di natura esplorativa. La presente review mira a delineare un quadro delle evidenze esistenti in letteratura riguardo il sexting in adolescenza. I risultati mostrano variabilità nella diffusione del fenomeno tra i diversi paesi e l’associazione con variabili demografiche. Emerge anche che il sexting in adolescenza è associato a diversi comportamenti a rischio. È inoltre analizzato il ruolo giocato da fattori individuali, sociali e culturali. Infine il sexting sembra assumere funzioni diverse in relazione ai significati e alle motivazioni: per gli adolescenti esso può essere una nuova forma di esplorazione sessuale o può condurre a conseguenze negative come il grooming e la pornografia.
Despite the emerging phenomenon of sexting, scientific investigation with criminological perspectives has been limited. Utilizing data collected from 1,612 randomly selected youth in South Korea, this study begins the investigation into which criminological theory best explains sexting behaviors. Theories considered include self-control, social control, and social learning theories. Some variables of each of those theories were tested. Findings showed that peer pressure was the most important factor for two types of sexting behaviors (sexting own picture/video and sexting others’ picture/video), and that prior delinquency and positive attitude toward sexting were also significantly and positively related to both types of sexting behaviors. But social control was negatively related to only the second type of sexting behavior, and self-control was not related to both types of behaviors. As sexting has only recently begun to be studied, we recommend that future research studies examine the phenomena within the framework of social learning theory.
This study compares college students' attitudes about privacy and trust when sharing digital images or video of themselves with three specific forms of Internet-and cellular-based media: Facebook, other social networking sites, and mobile phones. An increasing popular use of mobile phones is the practice of 'sexting:' sending and receiving sexually explicit images. These practices have only recently been introduced to criminological literature. Results indicate that trust in the receiver of images sent via mobile phones was significantly higher than other mediums. Also, females were less likely to trust mobile phones as they age if they reported to have previously engaged in sexting behaviors. This article argues that trust in sharing images or video via mobile phones is perhaps misplaced because there are many ways of losing control through non-consensual use of the digital images (e.g., victimization). Further, future research needs clearer distinctions to be made when defining the term 'sexting' and the intentions and purposes of people who engage in it.
Full Report available at https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/grants/244001.pdf
The potential emotional and legal consequences of adolescents' engagement in sending sexually explicit pictures through the internet or the mobile phone (i.e., sexting) have caused significant concern about the behavior among practitioners and academics. The present study compares the characteristics of students who engage in sexting to those who do not. A survey among 1028 adolescents of 11 secondary schools in Belgium was administered. Logistic regression analyses suggest that sexting is significantly linked with sensation seeking, experiential thinking styles and depression, while controlling for gender, age, family status and students' response to economic stress. The results are of importance to practitioners who could adapt their prevention and intervention campaigns to better reach this complex youth. Differences with the findings of previous studies highlight the importance of continuing research on sexting and the need to pay attention to the specific context in which adolescent sexting takes place.
Cyberbullying has become an international public health concern among adolescents, and as such, it deserves further study. This paper reviews the current literature related to the effects of cyberbullying on adolescent health across multiple studies worldwide and provides directions for future research. A review of the evidence suggests that cyberbullying poses a threat to adolescents’ health and well-being. A plethora of correlational studies have demonstrated a cogent relationship between adolescents’ involvement in cyberbullying and negative health indices. Adolescents who are targeted via cyberbullying report increased depressive affect, anxiety, loneliness, suicidal behavior, and somatic symptoms. Perpetrators of cyberbullying are more likely to report increased substance use, aggression, and delinquent behaviors. Mediating/moderating processes have been found to influence the relationship between cyberbullying and adolescent health. More longitudinal work is needed to increase our understanding of the effects of cyberbullying on adolescent health over time. Prevention and intervention efforts related to reducing cyberbullying and its associated harms are discussed.
There is considerable concern about adolescents producing, consuming, and distributing sexual materials via mobile phone communication. The purpose of this study was to examine key aspects of peer influence and the peer context in relation to two such practices: sexting and mobile porn use. The results of a high-school survey study (N = 1,943) revealed that 6% of Flemish teens (11–20 years of age) have sent a sext, while 9% use mobile porn. Teens who were more popular with the other sex and with a greater need for popularity were more likely to report both behaviors. Boys' mobile porn use was also predicted by perceived peer pressure. Same-sex popularity was unrelated to boys' sexting behavior and mobile porn use; for girls, a negative relationship was found.
Social scientists have begun to explore sexting—sharing nude or semi-nude images of oneself with others using digital technology—to understand its extent and nature. Building on this growing body of research, the current study utilizes the self-control and opportunity perspectives from criminology to explain sending, receiving, and mutually sending and receiving sext messages. The possible mediating effects of lifestyles and routine activities on the effects of low self-control also were tested using a sample of college students. Results revealed that low self-control is significantly and positively related to each type of sexting behavior, and that while certain lifestyles and routines mediated these effects, low self-control remained a significant predictor of participation in sexting.
This article explores the criminalisation and governance of sexting among young people. While the focus is on Australian jurisdictions, the article places debates and anxieties about sexting and young people in a broader analysis around concerns about new technologies, child sexual abuse, and the risks associated with childhood sexuality. The article argues that these broader social, cultural and moral anxieties have created an environment where rational debate and policy making around teen sexting has been rendered almost impossible. Not only has the voice of young people themselves been silenced in the public, political and media discourse about sexting, but any understanding about the differing behaviours and subsequent harms that constitute teen sexting has been lost. All the while, sexting has been rendered a pleasurable if somewhat risky pastime in an adult cultural context lending weight to the argument that teen sexting is often a subterranean expression of activities that are broadly accepted. The article concludes that the current approaches to regulating teen sexting, along with the emergence of sexting as a legitimate adult activity, may have had the perverse consequence of making teen sexting an even more attractive teenage risk taking activity. Key Words Sexting, childhood sexuality, criminalisation and sexuality, children and technology, technology and risk. Murray Lee et al.: 'Let's Get Sexting': Risk, Power, Sex and Criminalisation in the Moral Domain IJCJ 36 Online version via www.crimejusticejournal.com © 2013 2(1) Introduction
Objectives:
This study aimed to examine the prevalence of sexting behaviors (sexually explicit messages and/or pictures) among an at-risk sample of early adolescents as well as the associations between sexting behaviors and sexual behaviors, risk-related cognitions, and emotional regulation skills. It also aimed to determine whether differences in risk were associated with text-based versus photo-based sexts.
Methods:
Seventh-grade adolescents participating in a sexual risk prevention trial for at-risk early adolescents completed a computer-based survey at baseline regarding sexting behavior (having sent sexually explicit messages and/or pictures), sexual activities, intentions to have sex, perceived approval of sexual activity, and emotional regulation skills.
Results:
Twenty-two percent of the sample reported having sexted in the past 6 months; sexual messages were endorsed by 17% (n = 71), sexual messages and photos by 5% (n = 21). Pictures were endorsed significantly more often by females (χ(2)[2] = 7.33, P = .03) and Latinos (χ(2)[2] = 7.27, P = .03). Sexting of any kind was associated with higher rates of engaging in a variety of sexual behaviors, and sending photos was associated with higher rates of sexual activity than sending text messages only. This was true for a range of behaviors from touching genitals over clothes (odds ratio [OR] = 1.98, P = .03) to oral sex (OR = 2.66, P < .01) to vaginal sex (OR = 2.23, P < .01).
Conclusions:
Sexting behavior (both photo and text messages) was not uncommon among middle school youth and co-occurred with sexual behavior. These data suggest that phone behaviors, even flirtatious messages, may be an indicator of risk. Clinicians, parents, and health programs should discuss sexting with early adolescents.
This study reports the prevalence of bullying victimization at school and work among college freshmen and the relationships between victimization and changes in alcohol consumption and alcohol problems. Web survey data at 2 time points from a sample of 2118 freshmen from 8 colleges and universities in the Midwestern United States indicated that 43% of students experienced bullying at school and that 33% of students experienced bullying at work. Bullying, particularly at school, consistently predicted alcohol consumption and problematic drinking, after controlling for baseline drinking and other school and work stressors.
Agnew’s general strain theory (GST) has received significant empirical attention, but important issues remain unresolved. This study addresses three such issues. First, the authors examine the effects of bullying—a source of strain that may be consequential, but that has been neglected in GST research to date. Second, drawing from recent research on deliberate self-harm among adolescents, the authors examine the effects of bullying not just on externalizing deviance (aggressive acts committed against others and their property) but also on internalizing deviance directed against the self. Third, the authors examine these relationships separately for males and females to assess sex differences in responses to strain. These three issues are examined with self-report data collected from a sample of middle and high school students in a Southeastern state. The analysis reveals that bullying is consequential for both externalizing and internalizing forms of deviance and that these relationships are in some instances moderated by sex.
The Sample:
617 College freshman, studied over a 6 month period in 2010-‐2011
Predominately white
Predominately 18–19 years old
Parents tend to be high working class, low middle class, or middle class
Studied for: rates of behavior; risk factors & their relationship to bullying and cyberbullying; and many other social, family, and school factors
Multilevel cross-sectional data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health were used to test predictions based on Osgood and colleagues' extension of routine activity theory to individual offending. Specifically, the authors examined the associations between delinquent behavior and three variables hypothesized to increase exposure to situations conducive to such behavior: unstructured socializing (time use), income, and private transportation. Findings are generally supportive, showing that differences in individual offending among youth reflect varying degrees of criminal opportunities associated with diverse daily life patterns and routines.
Bullying and victimization are prevalent problems in the area of adolescent peer relationships. Middle school students (
N = 4,263) in one Maryland school district completed surveys covering a range of problem behaviors and psychosocial variables. Overall, 30.9% of the students reported being victimized three or more times in the past year and 7.4% reported bullying three or more times over the past year. More than one half of the bullies also reported being victimized. Those bully/victims were found to score less favorably than either bullies or victims on all the measured psychosocial and behavioral variables. Results of a discriminant function analysis demonstrated that a group of psychosocial and behavioral predictors—including problem behaviors, attitudes toward deviance, peer influences, depressive symptoms, school-related functioning, and parenting—formed a linear separation between the comparison group (never bullied or victimized), the victim group, the bully group, and the bully/victim group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Criminologists are often interested in examining interactive effects within a regression context. For example, “holding other relevant factors constant, is the effect of delinquent peers on one's own delinquent conduct the same for males and females?” or “is the effect of a given treatment program comparable between first-time and repeat offenders?” A frequent strategy in examining such interactive effects is to test for the difference between two regression coefficients across independent samples. That is, does b1= b2? Traditionally, criminologists have employed a t or z test for the difference between slopes in making these coefficient comparisons. While there is considerable consensus as to the appropriateness of this strategy, there has been some confusion in the criminological literature as to the correct estimator of the standard error of the difference, the standard deviation of the sampling distribution of coefficient differences, in the t or z formula. Criminologists have employed two different estimators of this standard deviation in their empirical work. In this note, we point out that one of these estimators is correct while the other is incorrect. The incorrect estimator biases one's hypothesis test in favor of rejecting the null hypothesis that b1= b2. Unfortunately, the use of this incorrect estimator of the standard error of the difference has been fairly widespread in criminology. We provide the formula for the correct statistical test and illustrate with two examples from the literature how the biased estimator can lead to incorrect conclusions.
Recently, a phenomenon known as sexting, defined here as the transfer of sexually explicit photos via cell phone, has received substantial attention in the U.S. national media. To determine the current and potential future impact of sexting, more information about the behavior and the attitudes and beliefs surrounding it must be gathered, particularly as it relates to sexting by minors. The present study was designed to provide preliminary information about this phenomenon. Participants were 606 high school students (representing 98 % of the available student body) recruited from a single private high school in the southwestern U.S. Nearly 20 % of all participants reported they had ever sent a sexually explicit image of themselves via cell phone while almost twice as many reported that they had ever received a sexually explicit picture via cell phone and, of these, over 25 % indicated that they had forwarded such a picture to others. Of those reporting having sent a sexually explicit cell phone picture, over a third did so despite believing that there could be serious legal and other consequences attached to the behavior. Given the potential legal and psychological risks associated with sexting, it is important for adolescents, parents, school administrators, and even legislators and law enforcement to understand this behavior.
To examine characteristics of youth sexting cases handled by police and their outcomes in response to clinical and other concerns about the risks of sexting behavior.
Mail surveys were sent to a stratified national sample of 2712 law enforcement agencies followed by detailed telephone interviews with investigators about a nationally representative sample of sexting cases handled by police during 2008 and 2009 (n = 675). The cases involved "youth-produced sexual images" that constituted child pornography under relevant statutes according to respondents.
US law enforcement agencies handled an estimated 3477 cases of youth-produced sexual images during 2008 and 2009 (95% confidence interval: 3282-3672). Two-thirds of the cases involved an "aggravating" circumstance beyond the creation and/or dissemination of a sexual image. In these aggravated cases, either an adult was involved (36% of cases) or a minor engaged in malicious, non-consensual, or abusive behavior (31% of cases). An arrest occurred in 62% of cases with an adult involved, in 36% of the aggravated youth-only cases, and in 18% of the "experimental" cases (youth-only and no aggravating elements). Most of the images (63%) were distributed by cell phone only and did not reach the Internet. Sex offender registration applied in only a few unusual cases.
Many of the youth sexting cases that come to the attention of police include aggravating circumstances that raise concerns about health and risky sexual behavior, although some cases were relatively benign. Overall, arrest is not typical in cases with no adults involved.
To obtain national estimates of youth involved in sexting in the past year (the transmission via cell phone, the Internet, and other electronic media of sexual images), as well as provide details of the youth involved and the nature of the sexual images.
The study was based on a cross-sectional national telephone survey of 1560 youth Internet users, ages 10 through 17.
Estimates varied considerably depending on the nature of the images or videos and the role of the youth involved. Two and one-half percent of youth had appeared in or created nude or nearly nude pictures or videos. However, this percentage is reduced to 1.0% when the definition is restricted to only include images that were sexually explicit (ie, showed naked breasts, genitals, or bottoms). Of the youth who participated in the survey, 7.1% said they had received nude or nearly nude images of others; 5.9% of youth reported receiving sexually explicit images. Few youth distributed these images.
Because policy debates on youth sexting behavior focus on concerns about the production and possession of illegal child pornography, it is important to have research that collects details about the nature of the sexual images rather than using ambiguous screening questions without follow-ups. The rate of youth exposure to sexting highlights a need to provide them with information about legal consequences of sexting and advice about what to do if they receive a sexting image. However, the data suggest that appearing in, creating, or receiving sexual images is far from being a normative behavior for youth.
We examined the association between pre-teen alcohol use initiation and the victimization and perpetration of bullying among middle and high school students in Georgia.
We computed analyses using data from the 2006 Georgia Student Health Survey (N=175,311) of students in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12. The current analyses were limited to students in grades 8, 10 and 12 (n=122,434). We used multilogistic regression analyses to determine the associations between early alcohol use and reports of both victimization and perpetration of bullying, perpetration only, victimization only, and neither victimization or perpetration, while controlling for demographic characteristics, other substance use, peer drinking and weapon carrying.
Pre-teen alcohol use initiation was significantly associated with both bullying perpetration and victimization relative to non drinkers in bivariate analyses (OR=3.20 95%CI:3.03-3.39). The association was also significant between pre-teen alcohol use initiation and perpetration and victimization of bullying in analyses adjusted for confounders (Adj.OR=1.74; 95%CI:1.61-1.89). Overall, findings were similar for boys and girls.
Pre-teen alcohol use initiation is an important risk factor for both the perpetration and victimization of bullying among boys and girls in Georgia. Increased efforts to delay and reduce early alcohol use through clinical interventions, education and policies may also positively impact other health risk behaviors, including bullying.
This paper reports findings on parental engagement in a community-based parent training intervention. As part of a randomized trial, 821 parents were offered group-based Triple P as a parenting skills prevention program. Program implementation was conducted by practitioners. The intervention was implemented between Waves 1 and 2 of a longitudinal study, with a participation rate of 69% and a retention rate of 96%. The study finds that a practitioner-led dissemination can achieve recruitment and completion rates that are similar to those reported in researcher-led trials. Second, the study found that different factors are associated with the various stages of the parental engagement process. Family-related organizational and timing obstacles to participation primarily influence the initial stages of parental involvement. The strength of neighborhood networks plays a considerable role at the participation and completion stages of parental engagement. The general course climate and the intensity of program exposure predict the utilization of the program several months after the delivery.
Technology has, once again, outpaced the law. In the sixties, spin the bottle and seven minutes in heaven introduced young teens to the mysteries of the opposite sex. In the seventies, a racy Polaroid picture seemed miraculous. Now, the societal veil cloaking teenage sexuality has been lifted entirely and budding libidos have escaped from dim basements into cyber space. Sex is omnipresent in our society: on prime-time TV, in magazines, movies and on the web. Youth is glorified and sex is celebrated and youthful sex joins these twin ideals. Our constitution protects free expression. Now that every teen with a cell phone is a potential creator and disseminator of nude photos, where is the line between legal expression and illegal predation? Based upon a review of the relevant literature and developmental research, the act of teen sexting should be narrowly defined and appropriately redressed through the juvenile justice system. The first part of this paper addresses the recent spate of teen sexting cases across the United States in relationship to the developmental stages of teen physical and cognitive maturation. The second part explores the federal law and policy underlying the distinction between obscenity and child pornography. The third part reviews the judicial and legislative response, thus far, to teen sexting. The fourth part considers the existing scholarship regarding teen sexting and self-produced child pornography and proposes a developmentally appropriate legal response to teen sexting.
The purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence of sexting among high school students as well as examine the theoretical foundation toward explaining this type of behavior. Specifically, we examined data from a sample of high school students in rural North Carolina to determine if low self-control and deviant peer association are constructs for explaining sexting among youth. Results indicated that both theoretical constructs are in fact predictors of the behavior, as well as other variables.
Despite being relatively new, cyberbullying is now well recognized as a serious public health problem affecting children and adolescents. Scientific exploration has lagged media attention, but a synthesis of studies across several disciplines permits an understanding of its epidemiology, phenomenology, mental health dimensions, and management tools.
To assess current knowledge of cyberbullying, we searched the MEDLINE, PubMed and PsycINFO databases for articles on "cyberbullying" and related designations. The Google search engine was used to capture otherwise unpublished legislative, governmental, and community response data and to help identify relevant books and book chapters.
A significant proportion of children and adolescents (20%-40%) have been victims of cyberbullying, with females and sexual minorities seemingly at higher risk. Perpetrators are more likely to be male. By nature of the electronic platform, there seems to be an easier path to the bully-victim phenomenon (victims who become bullies or vice versa) than that in traditional bullying. A nonlinear relationship with age is suggested, but demographic data overall are preliminary. Accompanying psychopathology, including an increasingly well-established link to suicidality, is common. Several prevention and management approaches have been proposed to help prevent cyberbullying or mitigate its effects.
Cyberbullying's seeming ubiquity, its disproportionate toll on vulnerable populations (e.g., children and sexual minorities), the link with suicidality, and the expected continued rise in Internet penetrance and connectivity make confronting it an urgent matter. A multipronged approach is most likely to succeed and would include: educational media campaigns; school-based programs; parental oversight and involvement; legislative action; and screening and evidence-based interventions by health care providers, especially pediatricians and mental health professionals.
More research is needed into cyberbullying, but available data suggest a serious problem whose consequences are real and should not be dismissed as a "virtual" by-product of an increasingly digitalized childhood and adolescence.
Copyright © 2015 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This study analyzes 85 personal narratives to explore the ways young adults navigate sexting exchanges and find meaning in them within the college context. We find that respondents who sext and those who abstain both believe that sexting carries significant risks, including the possibility that one’s sext could be shared with unintended viewers. Respondents attempt to minimize perceived risks through content control strategies such as “keeping it fun,” limiting explicitness, and creating plausible deniability. Moreover, respondents offer accounts aimed at neutralizing their discreditable actions through the claim of normalcy, justification by comparison, and the claim of benefits. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for micro-sociological perspectives on deviant behavior.
This article investigates public attitudes regarding sanctions for youth and young adult sexting behaviors. Recently, youths have been charged under child pornography laws for sending or receiving a nude photo via their cell phones. This study investigates the impact that age, gender, and sexual orientation of the relationship has on the public's agreement with sex offender registration as a sanction for sexting.
The availability and use of social networking sites creates both opportunities and risks for their young users. This article evaluates the applicability of the current legal framework to (cyber)bullying and sexting, two types of (potentially harmful) behaviour that are increasingly occurring between peers in the social networking environment. The analysis includes a mapping of applicable legislative provisions at the European and national level, an analysis of the Terms of Service of the largest social networking provider, Facebook, and an overview and assessment of self-regulatory initiatives that have been taken by the industry in this area in Europe. The ultimate goal is to identify a number of elements for a comprehensive strategy to ensure that risks of (cyber)bullying and sexting are dealt with in a manner that empowers young users.
The current study examines whether adolescents who report sexting exhibit more psychosocial health problems, compared to their non-sexting counterparts. Participants included 937 ethnically diverse male and female adolescents recruited and assessed from multiple high schools in southeast Texas. Measures included self-report of sexting, impulsivity, alcohol and drug use, and depression and anxiety symptoms. Teen sexting was significantly associated with symptoms of depression, impulsivity, and substance use. When adjusted for prior sexual behavior, age, gender, race/ethnicity, and parent education, sexting was only related to impulsivity and substance use. While teen sexting appears to correlate with impulsive and high-risk behaviors (substance use), we did not find sexting to be a marker of mental health.
Claims about ‘empowerment’ increasingly animate debates about the ‘sexualization of culture’. This article responds to Lamb and Peterson’s (2011) attempts to open up and complicate the notion of ‘sexual empowerment’ as it is used in relation to adolescent girls. Drawing on contemporary research from the UK, New Zealand and elsewhere, the article seeks to promote a dialogue between media and communications research and more psychologically oriented scholarship. The paper makes four arguments. First it points to the need to rethink conceptualizations of the media, and processes of media influence. Secondly it raises critical questions about the notion of ‘media literacy’ which has increasingly taken on the status of panacea in debates about young people and ‘sexualization’. Thirdly it highlights the curious absence of considerations of power in debates about sexual empowerment, and argues for the need to think about sexualization in relation to class, ‘race’, sexuality and other axes of oppression. Finally, it raises critical questions about the utility of the notion of sexual empowerment, given its individualistic framing, the developmentalism implicit in its use, and the difficulties in identifying it in cultures in which ‘empowerment’ is used to sell everything from liquid detergents to breast augmentation surgery.
Bullying is repeated oppression, psychological or physical, of a less powerful person by a more powerful one. The prevalence of bullying by and of school children is quite high; in some studies, about half of children were bullies, and over half were victims. Boys bully more than girls, but boys and girls are victimized about equally. Generally, bullies are aggressive, tough, strong, confident, and impulsive. Victims are unpopular, lonely, rejected, anxious, depressed, unwilling to retaliate, and lacking in self-esteem. Bullying occurs especially at places and times when adult supervision and surveillance is minimal. There is some continuity over time between bullying and violent crime. Prevention methods aim to improve the social and friendship skills of the victim and the empathy of the bully and to improve adult supervision and "whole-school" environments. In Norway, a nationwide campaign against bullying seemed to be successful.
Background
The product-moment correlation r is widely used in criminology and psychiatry to measure strength of association. However, most criminological and psychiatric variables contravene its underlying assumptions.AimTo compare statistical measures of association based on dichotomous variables with the use of r.Method
Explanatory variables for delinquency are investigated in the Pittsburgh Youth Study using a sample of 506 boys aged 13–14.ResultsDichotomization does not necessarily cause a decrease in measured strength of associations. Conclusions about the most important explanatory variables for delinquency were not greatly affected by using dichotomous as opposed to continuous variables, by different dichotomization splits, or by using logistic versus OLS multiple regression. Non-linear relationships, interaction effects and multiple risk factor individuals were easily studied using dichotomous data.Conclusions
Dichotomization produces meaningful findings that are easily understandable to a wide audience. Measures of association for dichotomous variables, such as the odds ratio, have many advantages and are often more realistic and meaningful measures of strength of relationship than the product-moment correlation r. Copyright © 2000 Whurr Publishers Ltd.
The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of sexting among sixth through twelfth grade students and its correlations with other risk behaviors. The survey was conducted in 35 different schools in a midwestern state. Overall, 17% of students engaged in sexting, which varied significantly by age (3% of 12-year-olds to 32% of 18-year-olds). Adjusted odds ratios found statistically significant correlations between sexting and sexual behaviors, substance use behaviors, emotional health behaviors, and time spent texting. Sexting should be addressed by parents, teachers, and mental health professionals who interact with adolescents.
This study uses event history analysis to examine two-parent and single-mother families. We ran panels for each predictor variable when controlling only for family structure, pubertal development, gender and grade level to assess changes in influence of individual predictors across ti,ne. A full model consisting of all statistically significant predictor variables and interactions was then run to determine the most influential predictors across time. Results indicate significant decrease in the effect of mother monitoring br; 10th grade. We also found significant interactions for gender: time de voted to school activities and homework delayed becoming sexually active for young women brit not young men. Similarly: depressed affect increased the likelihood of early intercourse among young women but not young men. Results for the full model indicated that when controlling for all other influences, the primary predictors of early intercourse were age, opportunity (being in steady relationship), sexually permissive attitudes, association with delinquent peers, and alcohol use.
Purpose:
This study addresses a gap in evidence regarding the nature and origins of the phenomenon of sexting from the perspective of young people.
Methods:
A qualitative methodology was used, involving individual semistructured interviews with 33 young people aged 15-20 years. Participants were sourced via youth health, recreational, and educational settings using purposive snowball sampling. Results were organized using NVivo, and themes were generated.
Results:
Interviews with 15 males and 18 females exposed a number of themes, including the gendered nature of sexting, which is the focus of this article. Of particular concern is the theme of pressure experienced by both young women and young men to be involved in the behavior.
Conclusions:
Findings highlight important implications for the design of strategies to prevent the potential harmful consequences of sexting. For prevention approaches to be effective, they must consider the underlying origins of the behavior and the online sociocultural context within which young people live.
Purpose:
Sexting has stirred debate over its legality and safety, but few researchers have documented the relationship between sexting and health. We describe the sexting behavior of young adults in the United States, and examine its association with sexual behavior and psychological well-being.
Methods:
Using an adapted Web version of respondent-driven sampling, we recruited a sample of U.S. young adults (aged 18-24 years, N = 3,447). We examined participant sexting behavior using four categories of sexting: (1) nonsexters, (2) receivers, (3) senders, and (4) two-way sexters. We then assessed the relationships between sexting categories and sociodemographic characteristics, sexual behavior, and psychological well-being.
Results:
More than half (57%) of the respondents were nonsexters, 28.2% were two-way sexters, 12.6% were receivers, and 2% were senders. Male respondents were more likely to be receivers than their female counterparts. Sexually active respondents were more likely to be two-way sexters than non-sexually active ones. Among participants who were sexually active in the past 30 days, we found no differences across sexting groups in the number of sexual partners or the number of unprotected sex partners in the past 30 days. We also found no relationship between sexting and psychological well-being.
Conclusions:
Our results suggest that sexting is not related to sexual risk behavior or psychological well-being. We discuss the findings of this study and propose directions for further research on sexting.
Purpose:
Cell phone use has become more widespread over the past decade. Young adults are frequently early adopters of new technologies, including cell phones. Most previous research examining sexting, the act of sending sexually explicit or suggestive images via text message, has focused on the legal or social consequences of this behavior. The current study focused on the public health implications of sexting by examining associations between sexting, substance use, and sexual risk behavior in youth.
Methods:
Young adults (N = 763) completed online questionnaires assessing demographics, cell phone use (e.g., texting, sexting), substance use, and sexual risk behaviors.
Results:
Sexting was reported by a substantial minority of participants (44%). Compared with their nonsexting counterparts, participants who engaged in sexting were more likely to report recent substance use and high-risk sexual behaviors, including unprotected sex and sex with multiple partners. Of those who engaged in sexting, a considerable percentage (31.8%) reported having sex with a new partner for the first time after sexting with that person. In multivariate analyses, sexting was associated with high-risk sexual behavior, after accounting for demographic factors, total texting behaviors, and substance use.
Conclusions:
Results suggest that sexting is robustly associated with high-risk sexual behavior. Many individuals exchange explicit or provocative photos with long-term sexual partners, but at least some participants in this study were incurring new sexual risks after sexting. Additional research is needed to understand the contexts in which sexting occurs, motivations for sexting, and relationship of sexting to risk behavior.
Based on a survey of 10,909 7th, 9th, and 11th grade students, this study compared 4 groups of students in regards to their involvement in high-risk behaviors: 152 victims with aggressive attitudes, 359 victims with nonaggressive attitudes, 478 nonvictims with aggressive attitudes, and 2,556 nonvictims with nonaggressive attitudes. The Safe Schools Survey was used to assess demographic information, perceptions of school safety, peer and adult support, attitudes toward aggression, and involvement in high-risk behaviors. The survey also asked students to indicate whether they had been physically attacked or threatened at school in the past month. Data show that victims with aggressive attitudes were more likely than students in the other 3 groups to report they had carried weapons, used alcohol, and engaged in physical fights at school. Both victims and nonvictims with aggressive attitudes reported lower academic grades and fewer supportive adults at school than the nonaggressive attitude groups. This study highlights the fact that victims with aggressive attitudes are a vulnerable group of students. The authors state that interventions for victims of school violence should be enhanced to address the needs of victims with aggressive attitudes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Objective To examine the prevalence of sexting behaviors as well as their relation to dating, sex, and risky sexual behaviors using a large school-based sample of adolescents.
Design Data are from time 2 of a 3-year longitudinal study. Participants self-reported their history of dating, sexual behaviors, and sexting (sent, asked, been asked, and/or bothered by being asked to send nude photographs of themselves).
Setting Seven public high schools in southeast Texas.
Participants A total of 948 public high school students (55.9% female) participated. The sample consisted of African American (26.6%), white (30.3%), Hispanic (31.7%), Asian (3.4%), and mixed/other (8.0%) teens.
Main Outcome Measure Having ever engaged in sexting behaviors.
Results Twenty-eight percent of the sample reported having sent a naked picture of themselves through text or e-mail (sext), and 31% reported having asked someone for a sext. More than half (57%) had been asked to send a sext, with most being bothered by having been asked. Adolescents who engaged in sexting behaviors were more likely to have begun dating and to have had sex than those who did not sext (all P < .001). For girls, sexting was also associated with risky sexual behaviors.
Conclusions The results suggest that teen sexting is prevalent and potentially indicative of teens' sexual behaviors. Teen-focused health care providers should consider screening for sexting behaviors to provide age-specific education about the potential consequences of sexting and as a mechanism for discussing sexual behaviors.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the pregnancy outcomes and services available to adolescent women in Missouri, comparing rural and urban residents. A secondary analysis of a large public use data set obtained from the Missouri Department of Health was done for the 5-year period 1992 to 1996. Data were collected by county, with each of the 114 counties of the state classified as rural or urban. The SAS program was used for analysis. Results demonstrated definite patterns of similarity and dissimilarity among the teen mothers based on residence, when age and race were controlled. There were over 54,000 births to adolescent mothers in the 5-year study period. Among the outcomes of pregnancy studied were: abortion rates, inadequate weight gain, intrauterine growth retardation, and low-birthweight (LBW) infants. Among the services available to the young mothers that were studied were fertility services, WIC (women, infants, and children supplemental nutrition) program, food stamps, and Medicaid coverage for pregnancy and infant care. The outcomes are probably generalizable to Midwestern, rural/urban states similar to Missouri.
This article presents a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of anti-bullying programs in schools. Studies
were included if they evaluated the effects of an anti-bullying program by comparing an intervention group who received the
program with a control group who did not. Four types of research design were included: a) randomized experiments, b) intervention-control
comparisons with before-and-after measures of bullying, c) other intervention-control comparisons, and d) age-cohort designs.
Both published and unpublished reports were included. All volumes of 35 journals from 1983 up to the end of May 2009 were
hand-searched, as were 18 electronic databases. Reports in languages other than English were also included. A total of 622
reports concerned with bullying prevention were found, and 89 of these reports (describing 53 different program evaluations)
were included in our review. Of the 53 different program evaluations, 44 provided data that permitted the calculation of an
effect size for bullying or victimization. The meta-analysis of these 44 evaluations showed that, overall, school-based anti-bullying
programs are effective: on average, bullying decreased by 20–23% and victimization decreased by 17–20%. Program elements and
intervention components that were associated with a decrease in bullying and victimization were identified, based on feedback
from researchers about the coding of 40 out of 44 programs. More intensive programs were more effective, as were programs
including parent meetings, firm disciplinary methods, and improved playground supervision. Work with peers was associated
with an increase in victimization. It is concluded that the time is ripe to mount a new program of research on the effectiveness
of anti-bullying programs based on these findings.
KeywordsSchool bullying–Intervention programs–Program elements–Systematic review–Meta-analysis
This article will discuss the phenomenon of "sexting" (i.e., the exchange of sexually explicit images between adolescents via cell phone) in the United States, with a particular focus on clinical and legal implications. Although sexting is frequently discussed in the popular press, there is virtually no scientific literature available on this topic. In contrast, the legal literature has discussed sexting more comprehensively due to the implications of child pornography statutes for the social response to involved youth. This article will consider sexting from a clinical and legal perspective, and recommend ways to understand and address this practice clinically with adolescent patients.
The objective of the study was to examine sex and grade differences among bullies, victims, bully/victims, and comparison children on physical, verbal, and indirect aggression and victimization and on depression and anxiety. 546 children (254 boys and 292 girls) in grades five through eight participated in the study. Children completed the Bully/Victim Questionnaire (Olweus (1989) Questionnaire for students (Junior and Senior versions), unpublished manuscript), the Franke and Hymel (1984) Social Anxiety Scale, the Children' Depression Inventory (Kovacs (1985) Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 21, 995–998), and the English Version of the Relational Aggression and Victimization Scale (Lagerspetz, Bjorkqvist & Peltonen (1988) Aggressive Behavior, 14, 403–414). The results indicated that across both grade levels, male bullies reported more physical aggression than did comparison groups. Male bully/victims in the younger grades reported more physical and verbal aggression than did comparison groups. Male bullies and victims in the older grades reported more verbal aggression. For females, group differences in aggression did not emerge until the older grades. The aggression results were not mirrored in the victimization reports: There were only significant group differences (between the at-risk groups and the comparisons children) on physical, verbal, and indirect victimization.
Using social media Web sites is among the most common activity of today's children and adolescents. Any Web site that allows social interaction is considered a social media site, including social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter; gaming sites and virtual worlds such as Club Penguin, Second Life, and the Sims; video sites such as YouTube; and blogs. Such sites offer today's youth a portal for entertainment and communication and have grown exponentially in recent years. For this reason, it is important that parents become aware of the nature of social media sites, given that not all of them are healthy environments for children and adolescents. Pediatricians are in a unique position to help families understand these sites and to encourage healthy use and urge parents to monitor for potential problems with cyberbullying, "Facebook depression," sexting, and exposure to inappropriate content.
Several legal cases in the United States in which adolescents were charged with child pornography distribution after sharing nude photographs of themselves with romantic partners or others have highlighted the issue of sexting behaviors among youth. Although policy makers, mental health workers, educators and parents have all expressed concern regarding the potential harm of sexting behaviors, little to no research has examined this phenomenon empirically. The current study presents some preliminary data on the incidence of sexting behavior and associated high risk sexual behaviors in a sample of 207 predominantly Hispanic young women age 16-25. Approximately 20% of young women reported engaging in sexting behavior. Sexting behaviors were not associated with most other high-risk sexual behaviors, but were slightly more common in women who found sex to be highly pleasurable or who displayed histrionic personality traits.
Problem statement: The issue of cyberbullying is one that has raised the concerns of parents, educators and law enforcement. Today children have cell phones with internet access as young as age eleven and some have cell phones as young as age eight making them all vulnerable to cyberbullying. Approach: The aim of this study was to explore differences between third, fourth and fifth graders perceptions of cyberbullying as a function of having a cell phone, by gender and grade. Data was collected from 835 third, fourth and fifth graders in Massachusetts. Results: An analysis of the data revealed that 35 % of third, fourth and fifth graders had their own cell phone, 11.4% responded that they had received mean or hurtful email or text messages about them and 45.6% of the students responded that they had been bullied in school. Differences by grade and gender were examined. Results indicate that although 27% of respondents worry about being bullied online, only 12% had someone talk to them about bullying online. Students in third grade were more in agreement that they worry about being bullied online and more strongly reported being afraid of being bullied by other students at school. Female respondents were more in agreement with the prevalence of cyberbullying or receiving hurtful emails and text messages about them and others. Conclusion: The findings suggest that students are provided with technology at young ages and receive very little guidance to protect them from cyberbullying.