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                            Library & Multimedia
 Longitudinal Association Between Teen Sexting and Sexual Behavior
NCJ Number
              248790
Journal

*Pediatrics* Volume: 134 Issue: 5 Dated: November 2014 Pages: 1-6
Author(s)
          Jeff R. Temple;
                        HyeJeong  Choi
Date Published

November 2014
Length
              6 pages
Annotation
              This study examined the temporal sequencing of "sexting" and sexual intercourse and the role of active "sexting" (sending a nude picture) in mediating the relationship between passive sexting (asking or being asked for a nude picture) and sexual behaviors.
Abstract
              Data were drawn from Wave 2 (spring 2011) and Wave 3 (spring 2012) of an ongoing 8-year longitudinal study of high school students in southeast Texas. Participants included 984 ethnically diverse adolescents with a mean age of 18.09 years (56 percent female, 31 percent African-American, 29 percent Caucasian, 28 percent Hispanic, and 12 percent other). Retention rate for 1-year follow-up was 93 percent. Participants self-reported their history of sexual activity (intercourse, risky sex) and sexting (sent, asked, been asked). Using path analysis, the study examined whether teen sexting at baseline predicted sexual behavior at 1-year follow-up and whether active sexting mediated the relationship between passive sexting and sexual behavior. The study found that the odds of being sexually active at Wave 3 were 1.32 times larger for youth who engaged in sexting at Wave 2, relative to counterparts; however, sexting was not temporally associated with risky sexual behaviors. Consistent with the hypothesis, active sexting at Wave 2 mediated the relationship between asking or being asked for a sext and having sex over the next year. This study extends cross-sectional literature and supports the notion that sexting fits within the content of adolescent sexual development and may be a viable indicator of adolescent sexual activity. (Publisher abstract modified)
      
  
          Additional Details
Grant Number(s)
        2012-WG-BX-0005


  
  
        
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        NIJ-Sponsored


  
  
        
  Publication Type
        Research (Applied/Empirical)
                                Report (Study/Research)
                                Report (Grant Sponsored)


  
  
        
  Award
        Continuation of Dating It Safe: A Longitudinal Study on Teen Dating Violence
    
  
  
Date Published: November 1, 2014
    
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Related Datasets
        
                      https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR37170.v1
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