An Examination of Sexting, Sexual Violence, and Alcohol Use Among Men Arrested for Domestic Violence

Adolescent Sexting, Violence, and Sexual Behaviors: An Analysis of 2014 and 2016 Pennsylvania Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data

BACKGROUND

Sexting is common among adolescents and is associated with numerous health risk behaviors and negative psychosocial constructs. This study examined the relationships between high school students' experiences with sexual violence victimization, dating violence victimization, and engagement in risky sexual behaviors with experiences of receiving sexts.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data from the 2014 to 2016 data from Pennsylvania Youth Risk Behavior. Participants were selected using an independent 2-stage cluster sample design to produce a statewide population-based sample. The pencil and paper surveys were conducted in school. Participants included 6734 Pennsylvania high school students in grades 9-12.

RESULTS

Overall, 29.0% of Pennsylvania high school students had received a sext, which varied by sex, race/ethnicity, school grade, and sexual identity. Students who engaged in sexual risk behaviors, experienced dating violence, or experienced lifetime sexual violence outside of the dating context had a significantly higher prevalence of receiving a sext than students who did not engage in those behaviors or have those experiences.

CONCLUSIONS

Early screening and prevention efforts that include discussions about sexting behaviors may help prevent other negative outcomes, such as risky sexual behaviors and interpersonal violence. Addressing sexting in the education and health sectors may help to prevent other related harmful health and violence experiences during adolescence.

Consensual Sexting among College Students: The Interplay of Coercion and Intimate Partner Aggression in Perceived Consequences of Sexting

Recent empirical data suggests that the majority of adolescents and emerging adults utilize digital technology to engage with texting and social media on a daily basis, with many using these mediums to engage in sexting (sending sexual texts, pictures, or videos via digital mediums). While research in the last decade has disproportionately focused on the potential risk factors and negative consequences associated with sexting, the data are limited by failing to differentiate consensual from non-consensual sexting and account for potential influences of intimate partner aggression (IPA) and sexting coercion in these contexts. In the current study, we assessed the positive and negative consequences associated with sexting, using behavioral theory as a framework, to determine the relationship between an individual's personal history of IPA victimization and the perceived consequences. Undergraduate students (N = 536) who reported consensual sexting completed a series of measures examining their most recent sexting experience, including perceived sexting consequences, and their history of sexting coercion and IPA. Results suggested that those reporting a history of any type of IPA victimization endorsed more negative reinforcing consequences after sending a sext, and those with a history of physical or sexual IPA victimization endorsed more punishing consequences after sending a sext than those without such history. Additionally, experience with IPA was found to be positively correlated with perceived pressure/coercion to send a sext. The implications of these data for research, policy, prevention, and intervention are explored.

Sexting and Substance Use among Women Arrested for Domestic Violence: A Brief Report

Background:

Advances in technology provide opportunities for communication using electronic mediums. Sexting is one form of electronic communication and includes the sending of explicit sexual content (e.g., photos, text) through electronic mediums. Previous research demonstrated a positive association between sexting and behaviors such as substance use. Moreover, substance use increases the risk for intimate partner violence and is also associated with risky behaviors.

Objectives:

The aim of the present study was to examine the prevalence of sexting in a sample of 84 women mandated to attend batterer intervention programs following arrest for domestic violence. The associations between sexting, substance use, and intimate partner violence were also examined.

Method:

Participants completed self-report questionnaires that assessed sexting, intimate partner violence, and alcohol and drug use symptoms.

Results:

Fifty-four percent of participants reported being asked to send a sext, 35.1% reported sending a sext, and 32.0% reported requesting a sext. Drug use symptoms were positively associated with some forms of sexting and intimate partner violence. There was a significant difference in drug use symptoms, such that women who received a request to send a sext had significantly more symptoms relative to women who had not received a request to send a sext.

Conclusion:

This is the first examination of sexting in a sample of women arrested for domestic violence. Findings indicate an association between drug use symptoms, sexting, and intimate partner violence, warranting continued research in this domain.