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Exploring attitudes towards sexting of young people: a cross-sectional study

Exploring attitudes towards sexting of young people: a cross-sectional study BackgroundSexting is a common emerging phenomenon. This study aims to explore young peoples attitudes towards sexting. Methods: Participants (n=469, age range 1529 years) were recruited at a music festival and self-completed a questionnaire. Attitudes towards sexting were assessed using a series of seven statements, rated on a five-point Likert scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Correlates of sexting attitudes were determined using multivariable regression. Results: Forty-six percent of respondents reported ever sexting. Most (88%) agreed Its risky for a girl to send a naked picture of herself, fewer agreed with the statement Its risky for a boy to send a naked picture of himself (77%). Thirty percent agreed that If someone Id just started seeing sent me a sext I might show it to some friends, however, only 14% might do the same with a sext from a boyfriend or girlfriend (this did not differ by sex). More permissive attitudes to sexting were associated with being male, lower sexual health knowledge, inconsistent condom use with casual partners, and higher alcohol consumption. Conclusions: Although the majority of young people surveyed agreed that sexting was risky it was a common practice. Given the potential psychosocial impact of sharing sexts without consent, it was concerning that up to a third of participants indicated they might do so. The findings of this study have implications for informing education on sexting. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Sexual Health CSIRO Publishing

Exploring attitudes towards sexting of young people: a cross-sectional study

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References (16)

Publisher
CSIRO Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s). Published by CSIRO Publishing
ISSN
1448-5028
eISSN
1449-8987
DOI
10.1071/SH16029
pmid
27712613
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

BackgroundSexting is a common emerging phenomenon. This study aims to explore young peoples attitudes towards sexting. Methods: Participants (n=469, age range 1529 years) were recruited at a music festival and self-completed a questionnaire. Attitudes towards sexting were assessed using a series of seven statements, rated on a five-point Likert scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Correlates of sexting attitudes were determined using multivariable regression. Results: Forty-six percent of respondents reported ever sexting. Most (88%) agreed Its risky for a girl to send a naked picture of herself, fewer agreed with the statement Its risky for a boy to send a naked picture of himself (77%). Thirty percent agreed that If someone Id just started seeing sent me a sext I might show it to some friends, however, only 14% might do the same with a sext from a boyfriend or girlfriend (this did not differ by sex). More permissive attitudes to sexting were associated with being male, lower sexual health knowledge, inconsistent condom use with casual partners, and higher alcohol consumption. Conclusions: Although the majority of young people surveyed agreed that sexting was risky it was a common practice. Given the potential psychosocial impact of sharing sexts without consent, it was concerning that up to a third of participants indicated they might do so. The findings of this study have implications for informing education on sexting.

Journal

Sexual Health – CSIRO Publishing

Published: Oct 7, 2016

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