Citation

Van Ouytsel J, Walrave M, Lu Y, Temple JR, Ponnet K. J. Youth Adolesc. 2018; 47(11): 2353-2370.

Affiliation

Department of Communication Studies, IMEC-MICT-Ghent University, Korte Meer 11, Ghent, 9000, Belgium.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10964-018-0903-9

PMID

30073509

Abstract

While prior research has identified multiple associations between engagement in sexting and risky behaviors, most existing studies do not take into account the contexts in which sexting occurs. The present study extends prior research by examining whether the associations between adolescents' sexting behavior and engagement in substance use, sexual behaviors, and deviant behaviors differ depending on the relational context (within or outside of a romantic relationship) in which young people engage in sexting.

RESULTS from a survey of 1187 secondary school students (61.3% girls, n = 728) between 16 and 22 years old (M = 17.82 years; SD = 0.88) revealed that sexting with a romantic partner is not a significant marker of engagement in risk behaviors. However, single youth who engage in sexting outside of a romantic relationship are more likely to report substance use, relative to their non-sexting counterparts. These findings underscore the need to use more nuanced measures to investigate sexting and for sexual education initiatives to integrate messages about substance use.

Language: en

Keywords

Adolescents; Internet and abuse; Risk behaviors; Sexting