Adolescent Profiles According to Their Beliefs and Affinity to Sexting. A Cluster Study

Encarnación Soriano-Ayala, Verónica C. Cala and Rachida Dalouh
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Encarnación Soriano-Ayala: Department of Research Methods in Education, University of Almeria, 04120 Almeria, Spain
Verónica C. Cala: Department of Research Methods in Education, University of Almeria, 04120 Almeria, Spain
Rachida Dalouh: Department of Research Methods in Education, University of Almeria, 04120 Almeria, Spain

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 3, 1-11

Abstract: Sexting consists of sending, receiving, and distributing images of sexually suggestive content through electronic devices. This practice is one of the new ways of linking sex affectively through virtual environments, especially in adolescence. However, not all young people have the same relationship with the practice of sexting. This study of a sample of 603 Spanish and Moroccan adolescents residing in Andalusia analyzes beliefs towards sexting as part of a virtual sexuality and the perception of those who carry it out, defining profiles of affinity to sexting. The cluster analysis reveals the existence of three predominant profiles: adolescents who show a sexting-philia, perceiving it as a fun, flirty, and daring practice; sexting-phobes, who consider sexting to be characteristic of people, or attitudes, who are desperate, impolite, and conflicting; and a third ambivalent profile of people who appreciate the practice as something fun but conflicting. The majority discourse is one that presents a positive view of this phenomenon. Young people also recognize that sexting has some characteristics of virtual sexuality, such as a loss of privacy and a distance between virtual and real behavior. These findings allow us to deepen our understanding of the new practices of relationships and offer measures for the prevention of the associated risks.

Keywords: sexting; adolescence; clusters analysis; Spanish; Moroccan (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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