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Sexting increased odds of sexual activity in adolescence
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Adolescents who sent sexual texts, or “sexts,” were more likely to be sexually active compared with their peers who did not send sexts, according to study findings published in Pediatrics.
Jeff R. Temple, PhD, of the University of Texas Medical Branch Health in Galveston, and colleagues analyzed data from the second and third waves of an ongoing 6-year longitudinal study of 964 high school students at a mean age of 16.09 years. Study participants self-reported history of sexual activity and sexting, specifically if they had sent, asked, or had been asked to send a sext. Data were collected for the second wave in spring 2011 and for the third wave, spring 2012.
Jeff R. Temple
According to researchers, being asked for a sext (OR=5.35; 95% CI, 3.39-8.44) and asking for a sext (OR=4.55; 95% CI, 3.37-6.15) were associated with sending a sext. Adolescent who asked for a sext were 9.91 times more likely to send a sext compared with adolescents who never asked for a sext. Additionally, adolescents who were asked for a sext were 5.35 times more likely to send a sext compared with their peers who were not asked for a sext.
Adolescents who sent a sext in the second wave were 1.32 times more likely to have sex by the third wave, compared with those who did not send sexts (95% CI, 1.07-1.63). On the contrary, being asked (OR=0.91; 95% CI, 0.57-1.47) and asking for a sext (OR=0.88; 95% CI, 0.49-1.30) at wave three were not significantly associated with sexual activity.
Researchers analyzed data for adolescents who reported having sex in the second wave (n=506) to assess associations between sexting and risky sexual behaviors. Asking (OR=4.85; 95% CI, 3.30-7.09) and being asked for a sext (OR=4.62; 95% CI, 2.41-8.81) were significantly associated with sending a sext. Sending a sext by the second wave was not associated with risky behaviors in the third wave, including unprotected sex (OR=1.01; 95% CI, 0.83-1.22), number of sexual partners and alcohol or drug use before sex. The researchers reported a negative association between asking for a sext and alcohol or drug use before sex.
“The link between teen sexting and actual sexual behavior is becoming well established, with this study extending our knowledge by demonstrating a temporal association between the two behaviors… That we did not find a link between sexting and risky sexual behavior over time may suggest that sexting is a new ‘normal’ part of adolescent sexual development and not strictly limited to at-risk adolescents,” the researchers wrote.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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