Body Self-Esteem, Virtual Image in Social Networks And Sexuality in Adolescent

Abstract

Adolescence is characterized by concerns about body self-esteem, as well as sexual arousal. Social Networks (SN) have become the way to express the sex interests in adolescents and the place where they publish more virtual photographs. Objectives: a) Analyze the sex and age differences in body self-esteem, virtual images and sexual advance strategies; b) Carry out correlations among variables studied. Participants: 200 adolescents from 14 to 17 years, 98 boys (49%), selected randomly from the Basque country. Assessment instruments: Body Self-Esteem Scale (Maganto & Kortabarria, 2011), Questionnaire of Virtual Image on Social Network (Maganto & Peris, 2011), Sexual Advance Strategies (Roman, 2009). Results: Statistically significant differences in sex and age were obtained. The boys obtained higher scores than girls in body self-esteem, erotic publications and coercive sexual strategies. Youth of 16-17 years have more strategies of sexual advances and positive emotions to sexuality than adolescents of 14-15 years. Social and erotic body self-esteem correlates positively with aesthetic, erotic publications and physical and verbal sexual advance strategies. Conclusions: Adolescents with higher body self esteem, both aesthetic and erotic, more virtual images on social networks publish, and they are those who carry out more strategies of sexual advance, specifically physical and verbal strategies.