Prevalence and profile of sexting among adolescents in Ecuador

ABSTRACT

Sexting is an emergent phenomenon in adolescents that has been studied in the USA and Europe, but scarcely in Latin American countries. This study examined the psychometric properties of an instrument to measure sexting and analyzed the prevalence, correlators, and profile of sexting among Ecuadorian adolescents. Participants were 664 students aged between 12 and 18 years (M = 14.6, SD = 1.74) who completed a battery of questionnaires. Results showed a higher prevalence of passive sexting (18.5%–22.3%) than of active sexting (3.5%–18.5%). Sexting was not related to socioeconomic status, but was more prevalent among boys, late and middle adolescents, and those in a romantic relationship. In these groups, wanting to have sex was the main motivation for sexting, whereas joking with people was the main reason endorsed by girls and early adolescents. Those adolescents who scored higher on active sexting were more likely to sext with someone regarded as attractive and more likely to endorse wanting to have sex or dating as the motivation for sexting. The findings suggest that sexting is a way of expressing sexuality and that it is related to romantic interaction. The results are discussed in relation to preventing possible risks and negative consequences of sexting.

KEYWORDS:

• Sexting
• prevalence
• adolescence
• Ecuador

Acknowledgments

This work has been possible thanks to the collaboration of the adolescents and their parents, the educational institutions, and the psychologists who participated in the research process.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Paula Yépez-Tito http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7464-9468

Marta Ferragut http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7862-7979

María J. Blanca https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4046-9308