Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 28, 2026

Integrating Computerized Linguistic and Social Network Analyses to Capture Addiction Recovery Capital in an Online Community
Published on: May 31, 2019
The influence of descriptive and injunctive peer norms on adolescents' risky sexual online behavior
Susanne E Baumgartner1, Patti M Valkenburg, Jochen Peter
1Amsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. s.e.baumgartner@uva.nl
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of descriptive and injunctive peer norms on the engagement in risky sexual online behavior. A four-wave longitudinal study among a representative sample of 1,016 Dutch adolescents (12-17 years old) was conducted. Two autoregressive cross-lagged structural equation models were analyzed to investigate the relationship between perceptions of peer norms and risky sexual online behavior. The findings of this study indicate that both, descriptive and injunctive peer norms, predicted adolescents' engagement in risky sexual online behavior. The effect of descriptive peer norms was stronger and more consistent over the four waves. As expected, perceptions of peer norms were predictors, but not consequences, of risky sexual online behavior. The findings suggest that problematic behaviors on the Internet are influenced by perceptions of what peers do, or approve of, in ways similar to offline risk behaviors.
Related Concept Videos
Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth. This guiding role...
Bullying
Impact of Social Context on Individuals
Deindividuation
Impact of Individuals on Individuals
Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...

