In probability-based sample, teens who sext are more likely to report being sexually active
MONDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Sending or receiving sexually explicit materials via cellphone, "sexting," is associated with higher reported rates of sexual activity in adolescents, according to a study published online Sept. 17 in Pediatrics.
Eric Rice, Ph.D., from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and colleagues collected data from a probability-based sample of 1,839 Los Angeles high school students who completed the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Correlates of sexting behavior were assessed and the association between sexting and sexual risk-taking was examined.
The researchers found that 15 percent of adolescents with cellphone access reported sexting, and more than half (54 percent) reported knowing someone who had sent a sext. Adolescents were more likely to sext themselves if their peers sexted (odds ratio [OR], 16.87). Adolescents were more likely to report being sexually active if they sexted (OR, 7.17). Sexting (OR, 2.74), sexual activity (OR, 1.52), and unprotected sex at last sexual encounter (OR, 1.84) were all more likely among non-heterosexual students.
"Sexting, rather than functioning as an alternative to 'real world' sexual risk behavior, appears to be part of a cluster of risky sexual behaviors among adolescents," the authors write. "We recommend that clinicians discuss sexting as an adolescent-friendly way of engaging patients in conversations about sexual activity, prevention of sexually transmitted infections, and unwanted pregnancy."
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)