Sext Dissemination: Differences across Nations in Motivations and Associations

Elizabeth M. Clancy, Bianca Klettke, Angela M. Crossman, David J. Hallford, Dominika Howard and John W. Toumbourou
Additional contact information
Elizabeth M. Clancy: School of Psychology, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood East 3125, Australia
Bianca Klettke: School of Psychology, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood East 3125, Australia
Angela M. Crossman: Department of Psychology, John Jay College, City University of New York, 524 West 59th Street, New York, NY 10019, USA
David J. Hallford: School of Psychology, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood East 3125, Australia
Dominika Howard: School of Psychology, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood East 3125, Australia
John W. Toumbourou: School of Psychology, Deakin University, 1 Gheringhap Street, Geelong 3220, Australia

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 5, 1-16

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.

Keywords: sexting; sext dissemination; young adult; technology-facilitated sexual abuse; cross-national (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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