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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Digital Communication

Background:

  • Sexting is prevalent among emerging adults.
  • Negative portrayals link sexting to risks like cyberbullying and abuse.
  • Sexting can also positively impact sexual well-being and relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how motivations for sexting influence its positive and negative outcomes.
  • To explore the divergence in sexting's effects based on underlying reasons.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal online study with 405 emerging adults (18-29 years).
  • Participants reported sexting behaviors, autonomous/controlled motivations, and outcomes at two time points (6 weeks apart).
  • Structural equation modeling was used for analysis.

Main Results:

  • More sexting behaviors directly and indirectly (via controlled motives) predicted negative outcomes.
  • More sexting behaviors indirectly predicted positive outcomes via autonomous motives.
  • Autonomous motives are associated with beneficial sexting experiences, controlled motives with detrimental ones.

Conclusions:

  • The motivations behind sexting significantly shape its outcomes.
  • Promoting awareness of sexting motivations can help emerging adults maximize benefits and minimize harm.
  • Focusing on *why* individuals sext is more constructive than advocating for abstinence.