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Sin in the Digital Flesh? Religiosity and the Sexting Behavior of Women and Men in the United States

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Laura Upenieks at Baylor University
Laura Upenieks
Rudra Chakraborty
Rudra Chakraborty
Rudra Chakraborty
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Terrence D. Hill at The University of Texas at San Antonio
Terrence D. Hill
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Abstract and Figures

Scholars have noted a rise in sexting behavior in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the association between religion and sexual behavior has been widely studied, researchers have yet to consider whether sexting behavior might vary according to levels of religiosity. Building on prior research, this study uses national survey data to formally test whether several dimensions of religiosity (religious attendance, divine control, and religious/spiritual struggles) are associated with the sexting behavior of women (n = 619, Mage = 40.28, SD = 11.50) and men (n = 548, Mage = 40.04, SD = 11.51). Results suggest that the odds of sexting are lower among women who report higher levels of in-person religious attendance (not virtual attendance) and greater perceptions of divine control. Among women and men, the odds of sexting are higher among those who report more religious/spiritual struggles. This study is among the first to show how various dimensions of religiosity might influence sexting behavior in different ways for women and men during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important for future research to replicate our findings and to consider whether other dimensions of religiosity might also contribute to the likelihood of sexting in an increasingly digital world.
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Vol.:(0123456789)
Journal of Religion and Health (2024) 63:3105–3133
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-024-02059-8
1 3
ORIGINAL PAPER
Sin intheDigital Flesh? Religiosity andtheSexting
Behavior ofWomen andMen intheUnited States
LauraUpenieks1· RudraChakraborty1· TerrenceD.Hill2
Accepted: 4 May 2024 / Published online: 16 May 2024
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature
2024
Abstract
Scholars have noted a rise in sexting behavior in the aftermath of the COVID-19
pandemic. Although the association between religion and sexual behavior has been
widely studied, researchers have yet to consider whether sexting behavior might
vary according to levels of religiosity. Building on prior research, this study uses
national survey data to formally test whether several dimensions of religiosity (reli-
gious attendance, divine control, and religious/spiritual struggles) are associated
with the sexting behavior of women (n = 619, Mage = 40.28, SD = 11.50) and men
(n = 548, Mage = 40.04, SD = 11.51). Results suggest that the odds of sexting are
lower among women who report higher levels of in-person religious attendance (not
virtual attendance) and greater perceptions of divine control. Among women and
men, the odds of sexting are higher among those who report more religious/spiritual
struggles. This study is among the first to show how various dimensions of religios-
ity might influence sexting behavior in different ways for women and men during
the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important for future research to replicate our findings
and to consider whether other dimensions of religiosity might also contribute to the
likelihood of sexting in an increasingly digital world.
Keywords Sexting· Religiosity· Divine control· Attendance· R/S struggles·
Gender
Introduction
During the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, governments imposed
national lockdowns to curb the spread of infection. These pandemic restrictions
affected nearly all facets of social life, including personal relationships, mostly by
* Laura Upenieks
laura_upenieks@baylor.edu
1 Department ofSociology, Baylor University, 97326 One Bear Place, Waco, TX76798, USA
2 Department ofSociology, University ofTexas atSan Antonio, SanAntonio, USA
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
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