A Latent Class Analysis of Online Sexual Experiences and Offline Sexual Behaviors Among Female Adolescents

Latent Heterogeneity of Online Sexual Experiences and Associations With Sexual Risk Behaviors and Behavioral Health Outcomes in Chinese Young Adults: Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Online sexual experiences (OSEs) are becoming increasingly common in young adults, but existing papers have reported only on specific types of OSEs and have not shown the heterogeneous nature of the repertoire of OSEs. The use patterns of OSEs remain unclear, and the relationships of OSEs with sexual risk behaviors and behavioral health outcomes have not been evaluated.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to examine the latent heterogeneity of OSEs in young adults and the associations with sexual risk behaviors and behavioral health outcomes.

METHODS

The 2021 Youth Sexuality Study of the Hong Kong Family Planning Association phone interviewed a random sample of 1205 young adults in Hong Kong in 2022 (male sex: 613/1205, 50.9%; mean age 23.0 years, SD 2.86 years) on lifetime OSEs, demographic and family characteristics, Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) scores, sex-related factors (sexual orientation, sex knowledge, and sexual risk behaviors), and behavioral health outcomes (sexually transmitted infections [STIs], drug use, and suicidal ideation) in the past year. Sample heterogeneity of OSEs was analyzed via latent class analysis with substantive checking of the class profiles. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the direct and indirect associations between the OSE class and behavioral health outcomes via sexual risk behaviors and PHQ-4 scores.

RESULTS

The data supported 3 latent classes of OSEs with measurement invariance by sex. In this study, 33.1% (398/1205), 56.0% (675/1205), and 10.9% (132/1205) of the sample were in the abstinent class (minimal OSEs), normative class (occasional OSEs), and active class (substantive OSEs), respectively. Male participants showed a lower prevalence of the abstinent class (131/613, 21.4% versus 263/592, 44.4%) and a higher prevalence of the active class (104/613, 17.0% versus 28/592, 4.7%) than female participants. The normative class showed significantly higher sex knowledge than the other 2 classes. The active class was associated with male sex, nonheterosexual status, higher sex desire and PHQ-4 scores, and more sexual risk behaviors than the other 2 classes. Compared with the nonactive (abstinent and normative) classes, the active class was indirectly associated with higher rates of STIs (absolute difference in percentage points [Δ]=4.8%; P=.03) and drug use (Δ=7.6%; P=.001) via sexual risk behaviors, and with higher rates of suicidal ideation (Δ=2.5%; P=.007) via PHQ-4 scores.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provided the first results on the 3 (abstinent, normative, and active) latent classes of OSEs with distinct profiles in OSEs, demographic and family characteristics, PHQ-4 scores, sex-related factors, and behavioral health outcomes. The active class showed indirect associations with higher rates of STIs and drug use via sexual risk behaviors and higher rates of suicidal ideation via PHQ-4 scores than the other 2 classes. These results have implications for the formulation and evaluation of targeted interventions to help young adults.

Being Under Pressure to Sext: Adolescents' Experiences, Reactions, and Counter-Strategies

This study explored adolescents' experiences of being under pressure to sext (sending nude images), offering insights into what situations adolescents view as pressuring, how adolescents react to the pressure, and what counter-strategies they use. Written statements from 225 adolescents (age 13-16 years, M = 14.4 years, SD = 0.93) were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results indicated a range of situations including both explicit and implicit pressure. The pressure elicited different emotional responses, including severe physical and psychological reactions, becoming distressed, and being seemingly unconcerned. A majority of the adolescents reported successful strategies on how to ward off the unwanted sexual requests. This study provides insight into how young people cope with potentially harmful situations online.

Sexual Experiences and Beliefs Vary by Patterns of Pornography Genre Preferences Among Women

Pornography use is multidimensional, yet most studies of the topic use variable-oriented methods (e.g., frequency of use) that reduce the experience to a single dimension. In this study, we sought to identify different multidimensional patterns of pornography genre preferences among a sample of women (n = 206) and examine how those patterns are differentially associated with sexual experiences and beliefs examined in previous literature. Latent Class Analysis uncovered four patterns (or classes): Heterogeneous (39%), Traditionally Feminine (27%), Female Pleasure (23%) and Rough/violent (11%). Class membership was differentially predicted by prior sexual victimization, sexual esteem, and diverse sexual experiences while controlling for frequency of use. These findings suggest that genre preference could account for much of the mixed findings of prior work that measured pornography use with unidimensional approaches.

Sexual Modesty in Sexual Expression and Experience: A Scoping Review, 2000 - 2021

Sexual modesty is the social, cultural, interpersonal, and psychological systems - defined by the tenets of Script Theory - that regulate individuals' sexual expression and experience at the social, legal, and interpersonal boundaries of acceptable/not-acceptable, private/public, and personal/social. Almost all aspects of sexual expression and experience are touched by the pervasive modesty standards for sexual communication, sexual display, sexual relations, and sexual behaviors. Sexual modesty influences an array of sexual and reproductive health outcomes. Many aspects of sexual modesty are enforced by legal as well as social, cultural, and religious proscriptions, including social shaming and ostracism as well as corporal and capital punishments. The purpose of this paper is to summarize a diverse literature related to sexual modesty from the years 2000 to 2021 in order to clarify its role in sexual health and sexual wellbeing and to identify directions for new research.

Online Sexual Solicitation of Children and Adolescents in a High-Risk Population

INTRODUCTION

The Internet provides a powerful potential tool for sexual predators. Experiencing trauma, including sexual abuse, can increase child and adolescent risk of experiencing online sexual solicitation.

METHOD

A retrospective chart review was conducted for the detailed information of all children and adolescents aged 8-18 years presenting to the Child Advocacy Center of large, tertiary care, Midwestern U.S. pediatric hospital with concerns of sexual abuse.

RESULTS

Three-hundred twenty-five children and adolescents were seen in the Child Advocacy Center during the 9 months; 139 (42.8%) denied talking to anyone online that they had not met offline (face to face in real life), 88 (27.1%) reported talking to individuals online that they had not met offline but never talking about sex; 65 (20%) reported online sexual solicitation with individuals they had not met offline; and 33 (10.2%) reported highest-risk behaviors online involving meeting someone offline or having sex with someone offline whom they had met online.

DISCUSSION

The number of youth involved in online sexual solicitation illustrates that children who have been sexually abused are at increased risk for sexual solicitation. This study also suggests that young children are vulnerable to online sexual solicitation. Youth engaged in these concerning online behaviors with individuals of all ages.

Online Sexual Solicitation of Children and Adolescents

Technological advances have exploded in the new millennium. The Internet provides many opportunities to enrich the lives of youth by providing greater access to learning opportunities, valuable resources, and positive social interactions with peers. However, the Internet is a relatively new and unregulated entity that can also place children and adolescents at risk for a variety of negative and potentially dangerous exposures. One such risk is online sexual solicitations and interactions with older adolescents, peers, and adults. This continuing education article will explore online sexual solicitation of child and adolescents in terms of definition, epidemiology, predictors, consequences, and implications for practice.

Women's Pornography Consumption, Alcohol Use, and Sexual Victimization

While research in recent years has investigated the influence of pornography consumption on sexually aggressive behavior, research on the relationship between pornography and experienced victimization is sparse. The current study sought to explore female sexual victimization and its relationship with pornography consumption and alcohol use at two universities (N = 483). Binary logistic regression analyses indicate that both pornography and alcohol consumption were unique predictors of self-reported victimization for college females and that the combined effect of pornography and alcohol dramatically increases the odds of victimization. Results are discussed in the context of pornography's impact on the minimization of sexually aggressive acts in real life and campus rape culture.

Online Sexual Experiences Predict Subsequent Sexual Health and Victimization Outcomes Among Female Adolescents: A Latent Class Analysis

Adolescents' online sexual experiences (e.g., pornography use, sexual chatting, sexualized social media use, and nude image exchange) provide a new context for sexual socialization. Traditionally, online sexual experiences are often aggregated averages, which neglect their complexity and fail to identify individual differences in the experience. Moreover, the lack of longitudinal research in this area has failed to determine if these experiences predict later offline sexual health and violence outcomes. An analysis of two waves of surveys completed by ethnically and socioeconomically diverse female adolescents (N = 296; 49% maltreated; aged 14-16 years) participating in a larger cross-sequential study was conducted to address these gaps. Established latent classes from the prerequisite study of online sexual experiences at Time 1 were Online Abstinent (low probability of any online sexual experiences), Online Inclusive (high probability of all online sexual experiences), Attractors (high probability of attracting attention from others), and Seekers (high probability of seeking out sexual content and interaction). Class membership uniquely predicted HIV risk, number of physically violent romantic partners, and the occurrence of sexual assault at Time 2. Although membership in risker online sexual experience classes predicted later offline risk and victimization, this was especially true for maltreated participants. These findings demonstrate the advantages of examining online sexual experiences in a way that emphasizes their complexity and individual differences in influential susceptibility.