Sext Dissemination: Differences across Nations in Motivations and Associations.

Elizabeth M Clancy,David J Hallford,Bianca Klettke,Dominika Howard,Angela M Crossman,John W Toumbourou

doi:10.3390/ijerph18052429

Abstract

Sext dissemination presents policy and legislative challenges given its potential psychological, social, and legal harms. We report on a cross-national comparison of sext-image dissemination in a large sample of 1148 young adults aged 18–29 years (M = 22.54, SD = 2.50, 53.0% women, 47.0% men), either U.S. (53.8%) or Australian (46.2%) residents. The results indicate that 14% of young adults disseminated sexts, with no difference by gender or country. Over 50% of respondents indicated that the last time they received a disseminated sext, it was unexpected or unwelcome, with women twice as likely as men to receive unwelcome sexts. The most frequent motivations for sext dissemination were similar cross-nationally, relating to the attractiveness of the person depicted, as a joke, to gossip, because it was not a big deal, bragging, roasting or teasing, and to increase social status. Motivations of attractiveness, bragging, or social status were more commonly endorsed by men, while women endorsed reasons around gossip or roasting/teasing. Unique predictors of sext dissemination included U.S. residence, requesting sexts, receiving disseminated sexts, having one’s own images disseminated, and more positive subjective norms to dissemination, and there was a country–gender interaction, where Australian women and U.S. men were more likely to disseminate sexts than then U.S. women or Australian men. The findings have implications for prevention programs seeking to address harmful online sexual interactions, including addressing respect, consent, and subjective norms supporting non-consensual dissemination.

Highlights

Sext dissemination presents policy and legislative challenges given its potential psychological, social, and legal harms
A recent meta-analysis [3] estimated that 38% of young adults have sent sexts, 42% have received sexts, 48% have engaged in reciprocal sending, and 15% have forwarded sexts without consent
While much research has investigated potential harms associated with sexting behaviours, those associated with the sending and receiving of sexts, less focus published maps and institutional affiliations

Summary

Introduction

Sext dissemination presents policy and legislative challenges given its potential psychological, social, and legal harms. The findings have implications for prevention programs seeking to address harmful online sexual interactions, including addressing respect, consent, and subjective norms supporting non-consensual dissemination. It has been a decade since the portmanteau term “sexting” was accepted into the Concise Oxford Dictionary [1]. The limited research conducted in this area to date has largely focussed on prevalence rates and potential consequences for those whose images are distributed non-consensually—that is, without their knowledge and/or consent [7] These consequences include negative impacts on trust, increased anxiety and depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal thoughts [8]. Sext dissemination may incur additional penalties under child pornography laws if distributed images depict minors or are sent to minors, regardless of the age of perpetrators [7]

Objectives

Results

Conclusion