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1.
Arch Sex Behav ; 52(4): 1767-1783, 2023 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36745284

ABSTRACT

This study explored late adolescents' and young adults' willingness to engage in non-consensual forwarding of sexts (NCFS) and its relation to victim blaming beliefs toward female and male victims. The study further examined important determinants in the development of victim blaming beliefs (e.g., perceived victim blaming of peers). An online survey was conducted among 1343 Belgian respondents of which 78.4% were female (Mage = 21.62 years, SD = 3.57 years). Structural equation modeling showed that victim blaming beliefs (i.e., responsibility-based and characteristic-based) were related to willingness to engage in NCFS, which was related to NCFS, regardless of the victim's sex. Further, victim blaming beliefs in the context of NCFS were shaped by parents' and peers' perceived victim blaming, and respondents' high levels of narcissism and low levels of empathy. Surprisingly, pornography use was negatively correlated with characteristic-based victim blaming beliefs. Additionally, males and late adolescents appeared to hold more victim blaming beliefs toward female and male victims in comparison with females and young adults. Lastly, the willingness to engage in NCFS was more strongly related to responsibility-based victim blaming (not characteristic-based victim blaming) if the victim was male. The findings demonstrate how victim blaming encourages NCFS and emphasize that educational programs should avoid victim-focused strategies.


Subject(s)
Crime Victims , Humans , Male , Female , Young Adult , Adolescent , Adult , Social Behavior , Empathy , Erotica
2.
J Sex Res ; 59(6): 742-748, 2022 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34410166

ABSTRACT

Sexting in young adolescents may be an online form of early sexual debut. We assess the link between potentially problematic sexting (i.e., pressured and receiving unwanted sexts) with known risky behaviors (i.e., substance use and early sexual behavior) among middle school students aged 12 and under. The ethnically diverse sample consisted of 1131 youth (53% female) enrolled in the 7th grade in one of 24 schools in southeast Texas. Participants self-identified as 31% Hispanic, 9% White, 24% Black, 19% Asian, 11% other, and 6% unknown. Participants self-reported pressured sexting, receiving unwanted sexts, history of sexual activity, and substance use. Two-point-one percent of adolescents reported sending a sext under pressure and 13.7% reported having received an unwanted sexting image. Participants with a history of sexual intercourse, relative to their non-sexually experienced counterparts, reported higher rates of being pressured into sexting and receiving unwanted sexts. Further, a portion of youth who experienced pressured or unwanted sexting also reported the use of various substances, relative to their non-sexting counterparts. Our study underscores the need for comprehensive sex education to begin at an early age and include age-appropriate information on sexting, digital citizenship, relationships, and substance use.


Subject(s)
Adolescent Behavior , Text Messaging , Adolescent , Coitus , Female , Hispanic or Latino , Humans , Male , Risk-Taking , Sexual Behavior
3.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33806314

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Sexting is an increasingly common phenomenon among adolescents and young adults. Some studies have investigated the role of personality traits in different sexting behaviors within mainstream personality taxonomies like Big Five and HEXACO. However, very few studies have investigated the role of maladaptive personality factors in sexting. Therefore, the present study investigated the relationship between Dark Triad Personality Traits and experimental (i.e., sharing own sexts), risky (i.e., sexting under substance use and with strangers), and aggravated sexting (i.e., non-consensual sexting and sexting under pressure) across 11 countries. METHODS: An online survey was completed by 6093 participants (Mage = 20.35; SDage = 3.63) from 11 different countries which covered four continents (Europe, Asia, Africa, and America). Participants completed the Sexting Behaviors Questionnaire and the 12-item Dark Triad Dirty Dozen scale. RESULTS: Hierarchical regression analyses showed that sharing own sexts was positively predicted by Machiavellianism and Narcissism. Both risky and aggravated sexting were positively predicted by Machiavellianism and Psychopathy. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provided empirical evidence that different sexting behaviors were predicted by Dark Triad Personality Traits, showing a relevant role of Machiavellianism in all kinds of investigated sexting behaviors. Research, clinical, and education implications for prevention programs are discussed.


Subject(s)
Antisocial Personality Disorder , Machiavellianism , Adolescent , Africa , Antisocial Personality Disorder/epidemiology , Asia , Europe , Humans , Personality , Young Adult
4.
J Soc Pers Relat ; 38(12): 3713-3731, 2021 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36382139

ABSTRACT

While studies have identified associations between cyber and in-person dating abuse, most research has relied on cross-sectional data, limiting the ability to determine temporality. This study tested the longitudinal associations between cyber and physical and psychological forms of in-person dating abuse. Data were from an ongoing longitudinal study following a group of high school students originally recruited in Southeast Texas, U.S., into their young adulthood. Three waves of data (Waves 4-6) were used, with each wave collected one year apart. At Wave 4, participants' age ranged from 16 years to 20 years (Mean = 18.1 years, Median = 18.0 years, SD = .78). The analytical sample consisted of 879 adolescents/young adults (59% female, 41% male; 32% Hispanics, 28% Black, 29% White, and 11% other) who completed the dating abuse questions. Cross-lagged panel analysis showed that dating abuse victimization and perpetration were predictive of subsequent dating abuse of the same type. Cyber dating abuse perpetration was found to predict subsequent physical dating abuse perpetration as well as physical dating abuse victimization, but not vice versa. Further, cyber dating abuse perpetration predicted psychological dating abuse victimization, but not vice versa. Cyber dating abuse victimization was not significantly associated with either physical or psychological dating abuse temporally. Overall, findings suggest that cyber dating abuse perpetration may be a risk marker for both physical and psychological forms of in-person dating abuse. Interventions may benefit from targeting cyber dating abuse perpetration as means to prevent in-person dating abuse.

5.
Drug Alcohol Depend ; 218: 108410, 2021 01 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33250387

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Prescription stimulants such as methylphenidate are usually prescribed to treat attention deficit (and hyperactivity) disorders (ADHD). Recently, these drugs have gained popularity among college students, because of the belief that they can help improve academic performance. OBJECTIVES: This study assessed whether engaging in nonmedical use of prescription stimulants for cognitive enhancement is a rational or a more spontaneous decision-making process. METHOD: A survey was conducted among 661 students (63.5 % females, n = 420, Mage = 21.40). Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. RESULTS: A total of 15.9 % (n = 105) of the students had previously taken stimulants to improve their academic performance. The use of stimulants was significantly higher among males (22.4 %) than females (12.1 %). Positive attitudes toward stimulant use for cognitive enhancement were strongest related to students' intention to take stimulants for increasing their academic performance, followed by the norm of parents. Additionally, the more the students identified themselves with the prototype of a student using stimulants for cognitive enhancement, the more likely they were to be willing to misuse stimulants. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that using stimulants for cognitive enhancement is a rational choice rather than an unplanned one.


Subject(s)
Nootropic Agents , Substance-Related Disorders/psychology , Adult , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/psychology , Central Nervous System Stimulants/therapeutic use , Cognition , Emotions , Female , Humans , Intention , Male , Methylphenidate/therapeutic use , Students/psychology , Universities , Young Adult
6.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33153104

ABSTRACT

Some adolescents use social media platforms, such as Instagram, for sexualized self-presentation, which includes posting images in which someone is scarcely dressed, has a sexy gaze or in which sexual willingness is suggested. These behaviors could be a first step towards sexting. Given that adolescents are highly influenced by peer perceptions, this study uses the prototype willingness model to assess how teenagers' perceptions of others could influence their posting behaviors. The study was conducted among 2626 students (n = 1530; 58.4% girls) between the ages of 14 and 21 (M = 16.14; SD = 1.02) in 10 secondary schools in the Dutch-speaking community in Belgium. The results show that older adolescents and girls were more likely to post images of themselves on Instagram. The models showed that peer norms and willingness and attitudes were significantly associated with posting intention. The perceived norms of adolescents' parents were not significantly related to the behaviors. There were also significant associations between perceived similarity, prototype favorability and the willingness to engage in sexualized self-presentation on Instagram. The implications for education and practice are discussed.


Subject(s)
Adolescent Behavior , Sexual Behavior , Social Media , Adolescent , Belgium , Female , Humans , Young Adult
7.
J Adolesc ; 84: 213-218, 2020 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33007516

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Gender minority adolescents, such as transgender, gender nonconforming, gender diverse and non-binary youth, may face unique challenges with regard to online sexual communication. They may be especially vulnerable for sexting-related risks. The aim of this study is to explore the sexting experiences of gender minority youth among a school-based sample. METHODS: This brief exploratory study reports on a survey that was conducted among 1293 respondents with an average age of 14.79 years old (SD = 1.97) in the Dutch-speaking area of Belgium, and compares engagement in sexting experiences between cisgender and gender minority youth. RESULTS: The results of our exploratory study show that gender minority adolescents were more likely to have ever been pressured to send a sexting image. There were no significant differences with regard to receiving sexts, or receiving forwarded sexts. None of the gender minority youth reported that they had forwarded a sexting image from someone else, as opposed to 9.3% of cisgender youth who had forwarded a sext. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the explorative nature of our study, the results suggest that gender minority youth may be at an increased risk to experience sexting-related pressure. Additional research is needed to investigate the sexting experiences of gender minority adolescents. Gender minority youth may benefit from education about safer sexting, and specifically ways to cope with sexting-related pressure.


Subject(s)
Peer Influence , Sexual and Gender Minorities/psychology , Text Messaging/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Belgium , Female , Humans , Male , Sexual Behavior/psychology , Sexual Behavior/statistics & numerical data , Surveys and Questionnaires
8.
Curr Opin Psychol ; 36: 55-59, 2020 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32480021

ABSTRACT

Sexting, herein defined as the sending of self-made sexually explicit images, is a modern-day form of sexual communication. This review discusses recent findings in sexting research among (young) adults. We find that despite its risks, sexting is increasingly used within dating and romantic relationships and can carry different meanings depending on the context in which the images are exchanged. Risks associated with sexting include pressure, experiences of unwanted sexting, unauthorized distribution, and coercion. Problematic forms of sexting can have significant consequences on the victims. We suggest the need for future research to make use of a uniform and nuanced measure of sexting and underscore the need to focus on adolescents as well as adults of all ages.


Subject(s)
Text Messaging , Adolescent , Coercion , Humans , Self Concept , Sexual Behavior , Young Adult
9.
Sex Health ; 17(2): 178-181, 2020 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32164818

ABSTRACT

Background The vast differences in sampling techniques, cultural contexts between international studies, the differences in age groups of the samples and various definitions used to measure sexting make it hard to compare how sexting behaviour has evolved over the past years. This exploratory study aims to address this critical gap in the research by using two datasets of a biennial study on adolescents' media use. The first aim of this study is to compare the sexting prevalence and correlates (i.e. age, gender and smartphone ownership) of youth in 2015 and 2017. The second aim is to investigate the risk mitigation behaviours of youth who engage in sexting and to assess how their behaviours differ between the two time points. METHODS: The data for cohort 1 were collected in October and November 2015 and comprise of 2663 students from 11 secondary schools in the Dutch-speaking community of Belgium. For the second cohort, the data were collected in October and November 2017 and comprise of 2681 students from 10 secondary schools. A weighing factor was implemented on the dataset. RESULTS: The results show sexting behaviour has significantly increased between cohorts, with 8.3% of the respondents having sent a sext in the first cohort, compared with 12.1% in the second cohort. The sexting prevalence rates also significantly increased between cohorts when taking into account students who owned a smartphone. Furthermore, engagement in sexting was associated with being older, and no gender differences were found. In the second cohort, 36.8% of youth who had sent a sext were identifiable in those images. There were no differences between cohorts. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that other factors next to smartphone ownership may be associated with an increase in sexting prevalence. The findings also highlight the need for the development of age-appropriate sexting educational materials.


Subject(s)
Adolescent Behavior/psychology , Sexual Behavior/psychology , Text Messaging/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Belgium , Cohort Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Prevalence , Sexual Behavior/statistics & numerical data , Smartphone , Students , Young Adult
10.
J Adolesc Health ; 66(4): 510-513, 2020 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31937483

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study aims to gain more insight into the prevalence and associations of transactional sexting, which refers to the sending of self-made sexually explicit images or videos in exchange for something else. METHODS: A survey was conducted among 2,626 high school students (n = 1,530 girls; 58.4% female) aged between 14 and 21 years (M = 16.14; SD = 1.02). We compared youth who engaged in transactional sexting and those who did not for a range of demographic and sexual health variables. RESULTS: Youth who engaged in transactional sexting were more likely to be male, to identify as a sexual minority, to have retaken a year of school, and to be sexually active, than those who did not. We also found associations with sexual risk behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the need for future research. Clinicians may screen for sexual health behaviors when counseling youth who have engaged in transactional sexting.


Subject(s)
Adolescent Behavior , Sexual Behavior/statistics & numerical data , Students/psychology , Text Messaging/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Female , Humans , Male , Prevalence , Schools , Sex Distribution , Sexual Behavior/psychology , Young Adult
11.
J Interpers Violence ; 35(23-24): 5157-5178, 2020 11.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29294845

ABSTRACT

Just as with other forms of abuse such as bullying, dating violence is no longer limited to physical spaces. Several forms of dating violence can also be perpetrated by means of technology. Few studies have used a theoretical perspective to investigate cyber dating abuse. This study addresses this gap in the literature by focusing on the perpetration of digital monitoring behaviors-a form of cyber dating abuse-from a social learning perspective. We investigate the extent to which perceived social norms about cyber dating abuse, witnessing controlling behaviors among parents, and endorsing gender stereotypes are linked with adolescents' engagement in digital monitoring behaviors. The study draws on data from 466 secondary school students (71.0% girls, n = 331) aged between 16 and 22 years (M = 17.99 years, SD = 0.92) in Flanders, Belgium, who were in a romantic relationship. Linear regression analysis indicates that being female, being older, the perceived social norms of peers, the endorsement of gender stereotypes, and having observed intrusive controlling behaviors by the father are significantly and positively related to adolescents' perpetration of digital monitoring behaviors. The findings have implications for practice and underscore the need for prevention efforts to address and lower the influence of these perceived social norms. Further implications include the need for prevention efforts to focus on diminishing the impact of gender stereotypical attitudes and the influence of witnessing controlling behaviors within the family context on cyber dating abuse perpetration.


Subject(s)
Adolescent Behavior , Bullying , Intimate Partner Violence , Social Learning , Adolescent , Adult , Belgium , Female , Humans , Male , Violence , Young Adult
12.
JAMA Pediatr ; 174(2): 204, 2020 02 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31790547
13.
J Adolesc Health ; 65(5): 621-626, 2019 11.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31473082

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Although research on adolescent sexting-the sending of self-made sexually explicit pictures through digital media-has increased in recent years, prior studies have primarily focused on older youth and the act of sending of such images. Little is known about the experiences of early adolescent sexual minority youth, who might be particularly vulnerable to abusive forms of sexting. To address this gap in the literature, we aim to investigate differences in the prevalence of a wide range of sexting behaviors among a convenience sample of heterosexual and sexual minority early adolescents. METHODS: A survey was conducted among 3,109 adolescents (53.5% girls; n = 1,647) aged between 12 and 15 years (mean = 13.01 years; standard deviation = .83). We examined differences in sexting behavior by sexual orientation, controlling for gender, age, and amount of Internet use. RESULTS: The results show that sexual minority youth were more likely to have sent, received, and asked for sexting images. They were also more likely to have experienced pressure to send sexually explicit pictures. There were no associations between sexual minority status and the perpetration of nonconsensual forms of sexting. CONCLUSIONS: Several types of sexting were not uncommon among heterosexual and sexual minority youth. Clinicians and counselors should be aware that sexual minority youth are more likely to experience, but not to perpetrate, abusive sexting behaviors. The results underscore the need for educational efforts to focus on resilience training for sexual minority adolescents.


Subject(s)
Sexual Behavior/statistics & numerical data , Sexual and Gender Minorities/statistics & numerical data , Text Messaging/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Belgium , Case-Control Studies , Child , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Heterosexuality/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Male , Risk-Taking , Sexual Behavior/psychology , Surveys and Questionnaires
14.
J Adolesc Health ; 65(6): 738-744, 2019 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31277988

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To investigate how demographic factors, dating, and sexual behaviors are related to both initial and changing rates of sexting over time, we examined sexting involvement among ethnically diverse adolescents over a 4-year period. METHODS: A total of 1,042 participants from seven public high schools throughout southeast Texas (Dating it Safe study) were asked yearly about sexting involvement, as well as sexual and dating behaviors. RESULTS: Using latent growth curve modeling, results revealed that males and white participants had greater initial involvement in sexting compared with females and Hispanic and other ethnicities, respectively. In addition, we found that sexting significantly increased over the 4-year period. Finally, participants who had sex and who had more dating partners at each wave were significantly more likely to be involved in sexting than their counterparts, even after controlling for their initial sexting involvement. CONCLUSIONS: Involvement in sexting increases steadily from adolescence into emerging adulthood. The present study extends prior research by identifying a longitudinal association between sexting and sexual activity.


Subject(s)
Adolescent Behavior/ethnology , Sexual Behavior/ethnology , Text Messaging , Adolescent , Age Factors , Female , Hispanic or Latino/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Male , Schools , Sex Factors , Sexual Partners , Texas , Text Messaging/statistics & numerical data , Text Messaging/trends , White People/statistics & numerical data
15.
J Adolesc ; 73: 36-41, 2019 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30954854

ABSTRACT

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.


Subject(s)
Adolescent Behavior/psychology , Crime Victims/statistics & numerical data , Cyberbullying/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Female , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Schools , Texas
16.
NASN Sch Nurse ; 34(6): 345-350, 2019 Nov.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31018758

ABSTRACT

Adolescent sexting remains an important public health issue because of the potential for psychosocial and legal consequences. This article briefly reviews the current state of the science of adolescent sexting research. It serves as an up-to-date and data-driven resource to school nurses and school staff to help augment understanding and facilitate discussion regarding teen sexting. The review is structured along popular myths about sexting.


Subject(s)
Adolescent Behavior , Sexual Behavior , Text Messaging , Adolescent , Adolescent Health Services , Humans , School Health Services , School Nursing
18.
J Youth Adolesc ; 47(11): 2353-2370, 2018 Nov.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-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.


Subject(s)
Adolescent Behavior/psychology , Risk-Taking , Sexual Behavior/statistics & numerical data , Substance-Related Disorders/etiology , Text Messaging/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Adult , Belgium , Female , Humans , Male , Sexual Partners , Surveys and Questionnaires , Young Adult
20.
J Adolesc ; 65: 1-5, 2018 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29499572

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate the cross-sectional and temporal associations between cyber dating abuse victimization (CDAV) and mental health (i.e., anxiety, PTSD, and depression), and substance use (i.e., alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana and hard drugs). We used data from the 5th and 6th waves of an ongoing longitudinal study of ethnically diverse adolescents from seven public high schools in Texas, U.S. Participants were 641 adolescents (63.3% female) with a mean age of 19.1 years (SD = .79) at Wave 5. Analyses suggested that while CDAV was associated with mental health and substance use cross-sectionally, when examining over time, it was only associated with past year hard drug and past month marijuana use. Although long-term mental health effects of CDAV did not emerge in the current study, we identified a temporal link to marijuana and hard drugs, highlighting the need for prevention efforts to incorporate messages about substance use.


Subject(s)
Crime Victims/statistics & numerical data , Intimate Partner Violence , Marijuana Use/epidemiology , Substance-Related Disorders/epidemiology , Adolescent , Crime Victims/psychology , Female , Humans , Internet , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Marijuana Use/psychology , Substance-Related Disorders/psychology , Surveys and Questionnaires , Texas , Young Adult
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