Using A Holistic Lens Of Adolescent Sexuality To Understand The Onset Of Girls’ Sexting

Sexting, defined in this study as consensually sending or receiving sexually explicit texts, photos, or videos, is now commonplace during adolescence. Yet, research on adolescent sexting predominantly treats this behavior as risky, focusing on potential deleterious legal and mental health ramifications. This perspective is especially salient for females. Although sexting can have unintended negative consequences, a risk-centered perspective neglects the developmental contexts in which sexting emerges to obscure our ability to identify for whom and when sexting may be normative versus risky. There is a pressing need for a more holistic view of female adolescent sexuality that considers its positive and developmental features as well as its associated risks. The current study embraces this approach to shed light on sexting by examining the onset of girls’ sexting among a sample of 79 urban, mostly African American (73%) youth. Results indicated that sexting is common in adolescence, and that sexting tended to occur around the same time as genital contact behavior, but typically before sexual intercourse. Additionally, both a normative factor (the number of prior romantic and sexual partners) and a risk factor (prior IPV exposure) were marginally significant predictors of earlier onset of adolescent sexting. Lastly, most teens, regardless of their sexting status, indicated sexual agency as the main reason that they would sext. Pressure was not a salient motivation for girls to sext. Further, of girls who had sexted, those who had sexted early (before age 16), as opposed to later, were more likely to endorse body affirmation motives. These findings provide the foundation for contextualizing sexting within normative sexual and romantic development, and provide insights as to when sexting might be considered normative versus risky. Information gained from this study can inform targeted curricula for promoting sexual health and communication

Black Teen\u27s Experiences of Victimization In Dating Relationships: Assessment of Risk and Protective Factors and Outcomes

Approximately 10% of male and 21% of female high school students report having experienced physical and/or sexual victimization in a dating relationship (Vagi et al., 2015). Multiple sources report that Black/African American teens have the highest rates of teen dating violence (TDV) victimization (CDC, 2017; Eaton et al., 2012). Data for this study comes from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBSS) collected from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in 2015, 2017, and 2019. A limited but growing field of research examines the effects of risk behaviors on TDV among teens. Among Black teens, the present study uses path analysis to (1) analyze the risk factors (e.g., early initiation of risky behaviors, violent behaviors, risky sexual behaviors, substance use, and risky driving behaviors) of TDV victimization (2) determine if a positive school environment can help to prevent TDV victimization and (3) determine the mental health outcomes of TDV victimization. Findings indicated that all early and current risk behaviors included in the study were associated with TDV, and the early risk behaviors mediated the relationship between TDV and mental health outcomes. At the same time, a positive school environment did not serve as a protective factor. Findings provide insights into the complex relationship between early and current risk behaviors, mental health outcomes, and TDV victimization – to better understand the opportunities for the development of prevention and intervention programs geared around early and current risk behaviors, mental health, and TDV victimization specific to Black teens

BrdsNBz: A Mixed Methods Study Exploring Adolescents' Use of a Sexual Health Text Message Service

Sexual health text message services are becoming increasingly popular, but little is known about who uses such services and why. This project details the implementation of a campaign promoting a state-wide sexual health text message service that allows teens to text directly with a health educator and uses a mixed method design to assess who uses the service, what motivates use, and potential barriers to using the service. A theory of information seeking through text messaging is posited based on previous information seeking and communication theory and tested with adolescents. A social marketing campaign was created promoting a North Carolina sexual health text message service and conducted in six middle and high schools in the North Carolina Piedmont region in Fall 2012. More than 2000 students in four schools completed online questionnaires that assessed awareness of the service, perceptions, and use. Focus groups and in depth interviews were then conducted with middle and high school students. Results indicate teens who are sexually active and in relationships are more likely to use the service. A teens' level of uncertainty about sexual health influences affect, which in turn leads adolescents to assess various information options. Positive attitudes toward the service and credibility perceptions are direct predictors of intentions to use. Efficacy was found to be an indirect predictor, working through credibility perceptions to influence intentions to use. Although teens may have an interest in using the service, there are barriers associated with use. Survey findings and qualitative results indicate that teens are interested in using a sexual health text message service, but perceived costs, fear of parents finding out about service use, and a lack of understanding of how to use the service were barriers for some teens. This study has implications for sexual health text message services, especially those that allow teens to connect directly with a health educator.Doctor of Philosoph

Depression and its implications for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention among youth in the United States

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a leading cause of morbidity among youth in the United States (US) and imposes substantial economic burden on the healthcare system. Youth account for more than 1 in 5 new HIV diagnoses annually, a two-fold increase since 2004. Annual direct medical costs associated with youth HIV care in the US range between $5.6 billion and$6.3 billion. Early sexual debut, high rates of condom nonuse, large numbers of sexual partners, and low rates of HIV testing drive the spread of HIV among this cohort. Emergence of depression during adolescence and young adulthood may exacerbate these issues. In order to reduce the incidence of youth HIV and curtail its burden on the healthcare system, it is critical to develop a comprehensive understanding of how depression impacts HIV acquisition and case detection. Three quantitative studies using nationally representative samples of American youth were performed to examine the relationship between depression and: (1) sexual debut; (2) inconsistent condom use and multiple sexual partners; and (3) HIV testing. Findings from these studies were used to offer recommendations to improve the delivery of sexual health counseling, HIV testing, and mental health services to youth in the US. Analysis on data from three large population databases suggested depression is an important mental health indicator to be considered in future youth HIV prevention efforts. Study 1 and Study 2 found depressive symptoms were associated with a greater likelihood of sexual debut before age 16 and condomless vaginal or anal sexual intercourse among 18 to 24 year olds. Study 3 found depression was associated with a higher likelihood of ever being tested for HIV but not associated with past year testing. Overall, these findings suggest a need for primary care providers to screen for depression during well child visits and provide sexual health counseling and mental health treatment referrals to youth exhibiting above threshold symptom levels. Youth HIV testing rates may be increased by promoting testing services at mental health treatment facilities and at offices of mental health professionals. Care coordination and organization are critical to the implementation of these recommendations

The Relationship Between Violent Media, Pornography, and Cyber Dating Abuse Among Adolescents

The current study examined the relationship between exposure to violent media and pornography, and the perpetration and experience of sexual cyber dating abuse among adolescents. The study also assessed the relationship between violence-tolerant attitudes with dating abuse outcomes, and examined the mediating role of attitudes in the relationship between violent media and pornography consumption and dating abuse perpetration and victimization. Participants were 113 adolescent boys and girls who reported currently being in a romantic relationship or having been in one during the past year. Participants completed an anonymous paper-pencil survey. Results highlighted pornography and gender as risk factors for the perpetration of sexual cyber dating abuse. Gender moderated the relationship between pornography and perpetration. Violence-tolerant attitudes predicted cyber dating abuse victimization. Contradictory findings were evident for violent media. Implications for school-based dating violence, parenting, and community-based interventions are discussed, as well as policy implications

Social connectivity and HIV risk behavior: mobile phones and sexuality in Yaoundé youth culture

This study is about changing culture. It deals with the acquisition of a mobile phone by young people in Yaoundé (Cameroon), its level of usage or of social connectivity, and the role it might have in HIV transmission. I examine how the use of a mobile phone impacts courtship, and how it creates and facilitates not only flirtatious behavior, but also unwanted sexual solicitations. Data results prove that young people embark on social connectivity to attain three social goals, (1) to increase longer-term life chances, (2) to increase means to gain material support and (3) to increase means to maintain self-status in the eyes of peers. They use mobile phones to create social ties that might result in sexual relations where barriers to condom use are involved, and as such it might lead to unsafe sexual encounters. Due to the economic and socio-cultural factors that obstruct the communication for safer sex between young people and their sexual partners – especially sugar daddies/mummies or mbomas – the power to enforce condom use is rarely equal. Data results prove that in Yaoundé, young people’s risky sexual practices are exacerbated by the mboma syndrome. Through a cross-cultural conceptual approach, I compare sexual risk behaviors related to the use of mobile phone among young people of Yaoundé with those of Ghent (Belgium), enabling me to assess distinctive sexual values that exist in different cultural backgrounds

Online Dating and Relationships On Campus: Gender, Religion, and Parental Marital Status Influencing Expectations and Experiences

Past research of college campus relationships and dating has found that gender, religion, and parental marital status may each play a role in determining expectations and experiences. Due to the recent popularity with online dating, I explore college student’s expectations and experiences and the roles that gender, religion, and parental marital status play in this pursuit. An anonymous survey was sent to a random sample of 918 student e-mail addresses. Students were asked what they expected from online dating, and what the experiences have been like for those who have participated. The survey, containing both open and closed ended questions, was used to gain descriptive and exploratory information regarding the online dating culture on campus. Results indicate that contrary to gender stereotypes, males and females venture online for similar reasons while females have higher expectations to hook up on campus (through non-online meeting) than do males. Jewish students expected to meet other Jewish partners through online dating platforms more so than other religious affiliated students. Students with married parents expected to marry someone within the same religion and also expected to form serious relationships from on campus dating. Higher rates of students of divorced or separated parents expected “hooking up” (over forming a serious relationship) as an outcome of meeting others through online dating platforms. I discuss the implications of my findings in relation to the existing literature on these topics

Perceptions and Risk: The Role of Education, Body Image, Partner Availability, and Condom Negotiation on Black Women’s Sexual Risk-Taking Behaviors

Rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are at an all-time high (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2021; Kreisel et al., 2021; Merman, 2021), and disproportionately impact women of color. Understanding the factors that coalesce to create elevated risk for Black women is critical for more effective prevention/intervention to reduce risks and negative health outcomes. This study extended previous research by examining the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the mediating influences of psychosocial factors (i.e., body image, perceived partner availability, and self-efficacy for condom negotiation) on sexual-risk decision making (i.e., condom use) in Black women during emerging adulthood. The TPB model demonstrated a good fit within the whole sample and the sample of highly educated Black women, with attitudes, social norms, and perceived behavioral control predicting condom intentions and intentions predicting condom use. Perceived partner availability mediated the linkages among intentions and use in the full sample and condom negotiation self-efficacy related to condom use. Black women who are more highly educated perceived a more limited pool of partners and this may have implications for their sexual health. The findings from this study help identify patterns that may differentially impact self-protective behaviors in sexual encounters to promote diversity-affirming prevention/intervention to reduce high rates of STIs in minority women

Sexting and the Application of the Social Exchange Theory

Sexting, the action of sending or receiving sexually explicit text, photographs, or video messages through cell phones or other electronic devices (Renfrow & Rollo, 2014), has become a frequently used means of sexual communication and exploration among adolescent/young adults (Walrave et al., 2015). To date, media has emphasized the risk of possible social and psychological consequences (Zhang, 2010), while limiting the discussion of possible benefits of sexting such as providing a safe method of expressing sexuality, with no risk of pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (Lee et al., 2013; Shafron-Perez, 2009). The current study applied the social exchange theory (SET), a social-psychological perspective that suggests all social interactions between individuals occur through negotiations of rewards and costs (Laursen & Jensen-Campbell, 1999; Thibaut & Kelley, 1965), to reports of sexting behaviours of young adults. Participants completed a series of measures that tapped into the constructs of sexting attitudes and behaviours, sexual and relationship satisfaction, sexual self-esteem, attachment, and patterns of sexual self-disclosure. It was predicted that perceived rewards minus costs of sexting with a current partner, sexting frequency, and sexual self-esteem would predict sexual self- disclosure (Hypothesis 2.b). It was also predicted that SET would provide a suitable framework for examining young adults’ relationship and sexual satisfaction, in that reports of sexual self- disclosure during sexting would predict relationship and sexual satisfaction (Hypotheses 3.a and 3.b). A linear regression analysis provided support for Hypothesis 2.b, suggesting that SET provides a suitable framework for examining young adults’ perceptions of rewards and costs associated with sexual self-disclosure during sexting. In addition, Hypotheses 3.b was also supported, where sexual self-disclosure predicted sexual satisfaction. However, Hypothesis 3.a was not supported, and suggested that sexting behaviours, perceptions of sexting, or sexual self- disclosure during sexting do not predict relationship satisfaction. Therefore, partial support for the application of SET in understanding how sexting may be related to relationship and sexual satisfaction in young adults was found. Future research is needed to examine sexting and sexual satisfaction with all aspects of SET, which would extend the understanding of the relationship of rewards and costs of sexting and sexual satisfaction