Literature Review
Discuss about the Sexting and Public Health.
Sexting can be explained as a process that effects the sexual behavior encompassing risky sexual practices. Considering the same, the current research will consider explaining the overall process of sexting and more specifically the ways in which it impacts health of people. The reasechers majorly elaborate the sexting behavior of the American adults those are involved in such type of activity and analyzing its emotional effect on the people (Döring, 2014). It is also gathered from the previous reasechers on this subject that new version of Respondent-Driven Sampling (WEBrds) is vital in recruiting the participants belonging to the age group of 18-24 years. This also focuses on examining the relationship among the sexual behavior of individuals and psychological welfare. It has been observed that sexting has attained increased public health importance and very limited research is available on the nature and impact of sexting. Sexting is explained as a price of sending, attaining and forwarding sexually explicit messages or images by means of mobile phones (Hudson & Marshall, 2018). This has tried out to be a renowned activity among adolescents and is turning out to be a dating process. Considering such explanations, the current research will focus on explaining the research findings and will conclude that sexting is not associated with emotional health as well as sexual risk behavior of people.
Morelli et al., (2016) indicated that a literature review on the subject of sexting and its implications must be extensive and needs to be associated with research statements and the designed interventions. These reasechers have also revealed that researches are based on theories explained in previous studies and they cite previous researches that are mostly gathered from primary sources. Such researches on sexting among the adolescents are helpful in providing proper justifications regarding the contents of the interventions. Weckesser, Wade, Joergensen & Turner, (2016) illustrated that more than 13% of the young individuals those are involved in the activities of sexting belongs to the age group of 18 to 29 years those are involved in sending and receiving sexting related texts. These reasechers also indicated that they have developed an intervention that encompasses hands-on activities and the literature review on this subject incus accurate summary of the process related with sexting among individuals that has great connection with the research. Wade, Turner, Weckesser & Jørgensen, (2016) evidenced that the previous researches explained the relationship among the sexting activities and risky sexual behaviors because of which the current research is deemed to be important.
Aim of the Research
Strassberg, Holmes & Nilssen, (2017) indicated in their research that there are numerous reports on adolescent sexting that also includes young adults range from the 2.5% to the highest percentage of 25%. For instance, a research carried out by Morelli et al., (2016) elaborated that there are an increased number of youth internet users present in Australia those belong between the age group of 18-24 years. It is also deemed to be considered important by the reasechers that concerns regarding young people sexting is increased through entertainment media. Several researches are also present on the legal concerns or bullying related with the process of sexting and it has also been evidenced that there exist several health implications related with the activities of sexting. Wade, Turner, Weckesser & Jørgensen, (2016) stated that there can also be several psychological implications or risks related with sexting and their consequences can be extreme among these young consumers. These researchers also indicated that the young teenager’s development theories and concepts are vital to be considered at the time of analyzing the ways in which adolescents think about sexting. Morelli et al., (2016) revealed that at a young stage, people experience drastic changes within their body that has increased concerns regarding the viewpoints of peers, craving for emotional and sexual bonding long with feeing invincible. Such experiences are observed to be different based on the gender and this also needs investigation regarding the new feelings that are shared by all individuals at a young stage.
The aim of the research is to analyze the impact of sexting on psychological health of sextors and non-sextors. The research will also focus on explaining the sexual behavior and psychology of both these people segments.
The significance of the current research is to explain the ways in which adolescent us considered as a problem by the parents, educators as well as the researchers due the issues related with legality or bullying through sexual activity which might be accompanied by sexting. Considering the same, the current research will focus on analyzing the young consumers involvement in sexting (Rubio-Aurioles, Rojas-Flores & Delgado-Parra, 2017). This will also include analysis of their behavioral intentions, attitudes along with subjective norms focused on sexting from a new media, gendered and from self-objectification viewpoint. Moreover, the research will also focus on presenting important implications on getting involved in sexual activity accompanied by sexting through taking a socio-cultural approach. More specifically, the indicators of sexting along with the intentions as well as attitudes related with sexting will also be evaluated in this research. Considering a socio-cultural approach in analyzing the issue related with sexting activities can facilitate the reasechers in realizing the concern from a new dimension which might eventually inform efficiently tailored interventions (Soanes & White, 2017).
Significance of Research
Participants
The respondents those took part in this research were selected employing webRDS strategy. Considering the racial respondent segmentation, Whites were 70%, Asians 12%, Latinos 9%, Africans and Americans 5%. Moreover, 93.9% are considered them as heterosexuals (Strassberg, Holmes & Nilssen, 2017).
Sampling Method
The survey respondents are segmented into four segments such as non-sexters, senders, depression systems, two-way and receivers. For an individual to be suitable for this research, he/she needs to belong to the age group of 18 to 24 years and are the residents of US. The first segment of participants was selected by means of Facebook ads (Weckesser, Wade, Joergensen & Turner, 2016). The other participant group joined the research by means of referral chain. The total sample size of this research is 3447, with males attaining 52% and females attaining 48%.
Methodology
As the participants were selected by means of webRDS and the recruitment chain is interlinked. Statistical weight RDS2 that is calculated to get rectified clustering which is generally related with referral statistics (Strohmaier, Murphy & DeMatteo, 2014). After the data was adjusted by means of RDS2 weights, the overall analytic sample was observed to be around 827. Descriptive statistics were run on overall sample (N=3447) along with weighted sample (N= 827) along with irritation evaluation to be responsible for missing data. Data analysis is associated in three steps and initially, crosstabs were employed to evaluate the connection among receiving and sending messages along with developing sexting segmentation. Multinormal regression evaluation was used to evaluate the ways in which sexting behavior is associated with sexual health consciousness results like depression, anxiety along with self-esteem.
Design Framework
The questionnaire research design is selected in carrying out this investigation for gathering relevant responses for gathering suitable outcomes from the research (Ybarra & Mitchell, 2014). The first segment of the questionnaire will contain demographic questions, second section of the questionnaire will contain questions regarding their viewpoint on texting.
Data Collection Method
The data collection is relied in the sexual experience, anxiety symptoms, self-confidence, sociodemographic physiognomics, internet use along with texting communicating frequency. The data that is collected and was protected through employing 128-bit SSL encryption to data leakage prevent accompanied by conducting data quality evaluation (Weckesser, Wade, Joergensen & Turner, 2016).
Ethical Considerations
The researcher attempts to follow a proper code of conduct in carrying out tasks in several data collection method. The secondary data has been collected from several valid along with reliable sources to make sure the research results trustworthiness. The researcher has also avoided certain delicate questions within the survey to persuade the participants taking part within the survey process with attaining mutual permission (Wade, Turner, Weckesser & Jørgensen, 2016). In addition, the respondents’ identity might not have been disclosed for certain confidential concerns, in which no such business use focused on the research statement has been considered from the end of the researcher.
Research Methodology
The research is deemed to employ quasi experimental research design in order to evaluate the implication of sexting on the psychological health and sexual behavior. The research problem is explained in a better manner as well as represented through comparing a control group that is non-sextors and sextors (Van Ouytsel et al., 2017). The health significance that is mental health is mentioned in several ways. Very limited research is present on analyzing the severe consequences of sexting along with societal concerns regarding adolescent sexting that results from moral panic to legality issues. Considering the same, the problem statement in this research is focused on including significant variables and explains a positive association among the sexual behavior and sexting done of young people. Considering such research problem, the current research has a scope of explaining the possible uncontrolled or mediating aspects including underrepresentation of certain racial and educational groups resulting from sexting among individuals (Van Ouytsel et al., 2015). Moreover, it is also indicated that the research has a scope of explaining the need for continuous longitudinal research in order to offer increased information regarding the relationship among the public health and sexting.
References
Döring, N. (2014). Consensual sexting among adolescents: Risk prevention through abstinence education or safer sexting?. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 8(1).
Hudson, H. K., & Marshall, S. A. (2018). Consequences and Predictors of Sexting Among Selected Southern Undergraduates. International Journal of Sexual Health, 1-8.
Morelli, M., Bianchi, D., Baiocco, R., Pezzuti, L., & Chirumbolo, A. (2016). Sexting, psychological distress and dating violence among adolescents and young adults. Psicothema, 28(2).
Rubio-Aurioles, E., Rojas-Flores, A., & Delgado-Parra, V. (2017). An Exploratory Investigation on Sexting and Its Perceived Effects. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 14(5), e250-e251.
Soanes, L., & White, I. D. (2017). Sexual Consequences of Cancer and Its Treatment in Adolescents and Young Adults. In Cancer in Adolescents and Young Adults (pp. 603-631). Springer, Cham.
Strassberg, D., Holmes, L., & Nilssen, A. R. (2017). An Examination of Sexting and Its Consequences Among College Students. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 14(5), e252.
Strohmaier, H., Murphy, M., & DeMatteo, D. (2014). Youth sexting: Prevalence rates, driving motivations, and the deterrent effect of legal consequences. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 11(3), 245-255.
Van Ouytsel, J., Van Gool, E., Walrave, M., Ponnet, K., & Peeters, E. (2017). Sexting: adolescents’ perceptions of the applications used for, motives for, and consequences of sexting. Journal of Youth Studies, 20(4), 446-470.
Van Ouytsel, J., Walrave, M., Ponnet, K., & Heirman, W. (2015). The association between adolescent sexting, psychosocial difficulties, and risk behavior: Integrative review. The Journal of School Nursing, 31(1), 54-69.
Wade, A. C., Turner, J., Weckesser, A., & Jørgensen, C. R. (2016). SEXTUALLY ACTIVE: TEENAGE VIEWS ON SEXTING AND ITS INTERVENTIONS. AoIR Selected Papers of Internet Research, 5.
Weckesser, A., Wade, A., Joergensen, C., & Turner, J. (2016). ‘Sextually’Active: Teens,’Sexting’and Gendered Double Standards in the Digital Age. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(8).
Ybarra, M. L., & Mitchell, K. J. (2014). “Sexting” and its relation to sexual activity and sexual risk behavior in a national survey of adolescents. Journal of adolescent health, 55(6), 757-764.