Temptation Island, The Bachelor, Joe Millionaire: A Prospective Cohort Study on the Role of Romantically Themed Reality Television in Adolescents' Sexual Development

Abstract

This 3-year panel study among 498 adolescents explored the motives for and effects of viewing romantically themed reality television (RTRT). Viewing RTRT was predicted by television dependency and viewing frequencies, but not by connectedness to peers and viewing motives. Viewing RTRT, in turn, predicted communication with peers about sex among girls, and higher estimations of peers' sexual activities among boys one year later. However, viewing RTRT did not predict stereotypical romantic attitudes. The need to explore the longitudinal relationships between television viewing and adolescents' sexuality, with special attention toward the emergence of gender differences in these relationships, is discussed.

Notes

*p < .05

**p < .01

***p < .001.

*p < .05

**p < .01

***p < .001.

¹Note that the viewing amounts measured in wave 2 were entered because they were the viewing behavior and the channel preference at a particular moment that may influence the programs a person watches. Note that missing values were high for the viewing frequencies of the channels VTM, K2 and VT4 as only 207 respondents completely reported on his/her viewing frequencies of the 60 programs broadcast on these channels.

*p < .05

**p < .01

***p < .001.