Sexting during confinement in Spain: prevalence, motivations and predictor variables (Sexting durante el confinamiento en España: prevalencia, motivaciones y variables predictoras)

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in the mandatory isolation of the entire population, reducing the opportunities for casual sexual encounters or between partners who do not live together. However, it is plausible to assume that other forms of sexual contact like sexting are occurring. This research aimed to analyse the behaviours and motivations to engage in sexting and to examine some predictors of mental health and loneliness that could be associated with sexting during confinement. The sample consisted of 510 participants: 280 emerging adults and 230 adults. The results showed higher prevalence of sexting behaviours among emerging adults (vs. adults) and among males (vs. females). Moreover, emerging adults reported more motivations to engage in sexting. Finally, the analysis revealed that loneliness would predict engagement in sexting by emerging adults. These findings could have implications for the implementation of sexual education programmes aimed at achieving adequate social interactions associated with sexting.

Sexting is not always wanted: consequences on satisfaction and the role of sexual coercion and online sexual victimization

“…The prevalence reported by the participants of this study agrees with that found in previous research, where the wanted sexting behavior was more frequent than the unwanted (e.g., Ross et al, 2019). Furthermore, sending text messages with sexual con-tent was reported more commonly than sending pictures or videos, in accordance with similar studies (Gámez-Guadix et al, 2017;Garrido-Macías et al, 2021).…”

“…We suggest that the scope of educational literature addressing unhealthy dating behaviors should be expanded to specify the difference between unwanted sexting and wanted sexting because nowadays, the latter is considered a new form of interpersonal communication that allows people to maintain sexual interactions, and it has been associated with positive consequences when done willingly (Döring, 2014;Drouin et al, 2017). Furthermore, data on the motives for sexting (Thomas, Binder, & Matthes, 2021), particularly the motives for unwanted sexting (Garrido-Macías et al, 2021), may be informative here and represent a next step in this line of research. A relationship has been found between motivations for sexting and aggressive online and offline behaviors (perpetration and victimization; Bianchi et al, 2021).…”