Abstract
The purpose of this study is to analyze which components of the social learning theory are associated with adolescents' engagement in sexting among a sample of 357 respondents. Additionally, we distinguish between two types of online sexual self-disclosure: sexting within and outside of a romantic relationship. The results indicate that the extent to which adolescents hold positive attitudes towards the behavior and the extent to which they perceive that their peers approve of sexting, are associated with their engagement in sexting both within and outside of a romantic relationship, when controlling for age, gender, school track and internet use. Sexting outside of a romantic relationship was also influenced by the thrill that young people get out of engaging in this behavior. The discussion addresses the implications of these findings for prevention programs, practice and future research, such as the necessity for future studies to ask with whom participants have engaged in sexting.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 287-298 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Telematics and Informatics |
Volume | 34 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 1 2017 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Adolescents
- Sexting
- Sexual education
- Sexual risk behavior
- Social learning theory
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Computer Networks and Communications
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering