Sexting, Online Sexual Victimization, and Psychopathology Correlates by Sex: Depression, Anxiety, and Global Psychopathology

Abstract

Recent research on sexting highlighted a relationship between this new technology-mediated behavior and psychopathology correlates, although up to date results are mixed, and so far, studies have often used simple and not clinically validated measures of mental health. This study aimed to investigate sexting behaviors, online sexual victimization, and related mental health correlates using clinically validated measures for global psychopathology, anxiety, and depression; and doing so separately for men and women. The sample consisted of 1370 Spanish college students (73.6% female; 21.4 mean age; SD = 4.85) who took part in an online survey about their engagement in sexting behaviors, online sexual victimization behaviors, and psychopathological symptomatology, measured by a sexting scale and the Listado de Síntomas Breve (brief symptom checklist) (LSB-50), respectively. Out of our total sample, 37.1% of participants had created and sent their own sexual content (active sexting), 60.3% had received sexual content (passive sexting), and 35.5% had both sent and received sexual content, with significant differences between male and female engagement in passive sexting. No differences were found between men and women in the prevalence of their victimization by nonconsensual dissemination of sexual content; however, women were more pressured and threatened into sexting than men. Sex differences in psychopathology were found only for depression prevalence rates but not for global psychopathology or anxiety. Furthermore, for male participants, our results showed a significant association only between online sexual victimization and psychopathology but not for consensual active and passive sexting. However, for the female participants, active sexting, passive sexting, and online sexual victimization were all associated with poorer mental health. Implications for prevention and intervention are discussed.

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

“…Moreover, those who experienced these different forms of IPA were significantly more likely than those who did not experience these forms of IPA to report nearly every type of sexting coercion (with the exception that was there was no difference in experiences of defection threat among those who did and did not experience psychological IPA). Our findings support previous research suggesting that coerced sexting is related to partner victimization [ 34 , 35 , 42 , 54 , 55 ] and again reinforce the idea proposed by Ross et al [ 17 ] that sexting coercion be considered part of the construct of IPA. As partner victimization and coercive control extend to digital formats, it will be important to reconceptualize common definitions of IPA and sexual harassment to include digital violence.…”

“…With regard to the negative reinforcement effects, this finding aligns somewhat with Drouin and Tobin’s [ 53 ] findings that some women (those who were anxiously attached to their partners) were more likely to engage in unwanted sexting because they wanted to avoid an argument with their partner. In both the current research and this previous study [ 55 ], the removal of an unpleasant stimulus served to increase a sexting behavior that was either unwanted or considered coercive. Although removal of an unpleasant outcome is not inherently bad from a behavioral perspective, those who are pressured into sexting to avoid an argument or discord with a partner may be more likely to experience regret or trauma, especially if the sexting was considered coerced [ 38 ].…”

“…Unexpectedly, gender differences did not emerge with regard to IPA or sexting coercion, which was somewhat inconsistent with previous research. For example, recent data found that women were 2.49 times more likely to be pressured to sext, and 5.06 times to be threatened related to sexting [ 55 ]. Our data did not suggest such gender differences, perhaps due to measurement and methodological differences.…”

“…Rather, it appears that they are more likely to experience undesirable outcomes of consensual sexting, including regret, embarrassment, trauma, and shame, compared to their non-victimized counterparts. Additionally, recent research examined the interrelationship of sexting and online sexual victimization, and found that for females specifically, these experiences were correlated with poorer mental health [ 55 ]. These negative experiences are similar to the undesirable consequences reported by individuals who engage in unwanted sexting [ 54 ] and suggest that sexting coercion, unwanted sexting, and the experience of IPA are intertwined in complex ways.…”

“…Other research has found that receiving unwanted sexts or sending consensual but unwanted sexts independently predicted a range of psychological symptoms, including depression, anxiety, stress, and lower self-esteem [ 54 ]. Recent research examining consensual, active sexting further demonstrated that even in this “consensual context”, approximately one third of participants reported pressure to sext, and sexting was consistently associated with poorer mental health outcomes for women specifically [ 55 ]. This further points to the need to continue to examine the psychological and coercive elements of sexting that is specifically identified as consensual.…”