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Adolescent Sexting in Romantic Relationships and Daily Positive and Negative Affect Dynamics: A Dyadic Intensive
Thao Ha1, Selena I Quiroz1, Daniel McNeish1
1Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, PO Box 871104, Tempe, AZ 85287-1104.
Computers in Human Behavior
|June 17, 2026
Summary
Adolescent sexting (sending sexually explicit messages) can boost immediate positive emotions for both partners. However, boys' sexting may lead to later negative emotions for both individuals, highlighting the complex emotional impact of sexting.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Adolescent Development
- Relationship Science
Background:
- Sexting among adolescents is often viewed through the lens of risks.
- Emerging research suggests potential positive emotional experiences linked to sexting in romantic relationships.
- Limited research exists on daily sexting behaviors and their impact on adolescent emotional functioning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the associations between sexting and daily affect in adolescent romantic relationships.
- To examine the immediate and lagged effects of sexting on individual and dyadic emotional functioning.
- To understand the temporal dynamics of sexting's emotional consequences.
Main Methods:
- Intensive longitudinal dyadic design with 88 heterosexual adolescent couples.
- Biweekly diary assessments over 12 weeks (2,112 observations).
- Advanced longitudinal dyadic data modeling to analyze same-day and lagged associations.
Main Results:
- Girls' sexting correlated with increased same-day positive affect for themselves and their partners.
- Boys' sexting was linked to increased same-day partner positive affect, but decreased partner positive affect one week later.
- Boys' sexting was associated with lower same-day negative affect for themselves, but increased negative affect for both partners later.
Conclusions:
- Sexting in adolescent relationships has immediate positive emotional benefits.
- Delayed emotional costs, particularly negative affect, can arise from sexting, especially concerning boys' behavior.
- The study highlights the complex, temporal, and dyadic nature of sexting's emotional impact on adolescents.
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