1. Sexpertise 2014
February 13, 2014
Sexting and well-being among heterosexual
young adults and young gay and bisexual
men in the United States

2. Sexting: sharing sexually suggestive
photos or messages through cell phones
and other media
Lenhart A. Teens and Sexting. Pew Internet and American Life Project; 2009. Available at:
http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/Teens-and-Sexting/Overview/Findings.aspx. Accessed August 15, 2011.

3. Sexting and Health
 Risky?
 Safe?
 Neither?

5. 1 in 5 teens have sent
nude or semi-nude pictures or
video of themselves
1 in 3 young adults
have sent nude or semi-nude
pictures or video of
themselves
Women are more likely
than men to have sent nude or semi-nude
pictures or video of themselves
National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unwanted Pregnancy, Cosmogirl.com: Sex and Tech: Results of a Survey of
Teens and Young Adults. Available at: http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/SEXTECH/PDF/SexTech_Summary.
pdf.

6. 83% of young
adult women
75% of young
adult men
21% of young
adult women
30% of young
adult men
15% of young
adult women
23% of young
adult men
Sent pictures or
messages to a
boyfriend/
girlfriend
Sent pictures or messages
to someone they
wanted to date or
hook up with
Sent pictures or
messages to
someone they
only knew
online

7. What is the relationship
between sexting and well-
being among heterosexual
young adults?

8. Recruitment
• Recruited through Facebook ads
• Referred friends via WebRDS

9. (N=3,448)
Sex
Male 51.60%
Female 48.40%
Race/Ethnicity
White 72.80%
Black 5.10%
Hispanic/Latino 8.50%
American Indian/Alaska Native 1.00%
Asian/Asian Pacific Islander/NH 11.80%
Other 3.60%
2 or more 2.80%
Unknown 3.00%
Region
Northeast 36.30%
Midwest 23.30%
South 28.50%
West 11.90%

11. 435
(57%)
96
(13%)
214
(28%)
Never Sexted Received Only
Both Sent and
Received
Sent Only
Sexting Status

12. Conclusions
•Sexting is a prevalent behavior
• Sexting is a reciprocal behavior
• More likely among young adults who are
sexually active
• Males receive sexts more often than females
• Sexting is NOT associated with sexual risk
outcomes
• Sexting is NOT associated with psychological
correlates
Gordon-Messer, D., Bauermeister, J. A., Grodzinski, A., & Zimmerman, M. (2012). Sexting among young adults.
Journal of Adolescent Health, 52 (2013). 301-306. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.05.013

13. What is the relationship between
sexting and well-being among
young men who have sex with
men (YMSM)?

14. Recruitment

15. N = 1,507 Mean(SD)/N(%)
Age 20.80 (.12)
Race/Ethnicity
White 987 (65.5%)
Black 131 (8.7%)
Latino 256 (17.0%)
Asian/Pacific Islander 58 (3.8%)
Multiracial 54 (3.6%)
Other 21 (1.4%)
Sexual Identity
Gay 1389 (92.2%)
Bisexual 45 (3.2%)
Other 68 (4.6%)
Educational Attainment
Less than high school degree 54 (3.6%)
High school degree 318 (21.1%)
Technical/Associate Degree 89 (5.9%)
Some College 733 (48.6%)
College 220 (14.6%)
Some graduate school 93 (6.2%)

16. 189
(12.6%)
158
(10.5%)
1138
(75.6%)
Sexting Status
Never Sexted Received Only
Sent Only Both Sent and
Received

17. • Sexting is prevalent among young gay and bisexual
men.
Psychological Well-being
• No association with depression symptoms or self-
esteem scores.
• Anxiety symptoms are slightly higher among those
who Sent & Received sexts when compared to
those who Receive only.
Sexual behaviors
• Sexters more likely to be sexually-active, yet their
sexting behavior is not associated with sexual risk
practices.
Conclusions
Bauermeister, J. A., Yeagley, E., Meanley, S., & Pingel, E. S. (2013). Sexting among young men who have sex with
men: Results from a national survey. Journal of Adolescent Health, (2013), 1-6. Retrieved from
1016/j.jadohealth.2013.10.013

18. 57.0%
13.0%
2.0%
28.0%
12.6%
10.5%
1.3%
75.6%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
Never Sexted Received Only Sent Only Sent & Received
Heterosexual Gay & Bisexual
Sexting Prevalence
• More prevalent among
gay and bisexual young
adult men than
heterosexual young
adults
Sexting and
Health
• Sexting is linked to
sexual activity, yet not
associated with
sexual risk outcomes
• Limited support for
relationship between
sexting and
psychological well-
being

19. Discussion
• Risky sexual behavior?
• Standalone safer sex practice?
• New take on an age-old practice?

20. Essential Tolerable
Bonus Deal Breaker
Think about what might be important to you if you
decide to send or receive sexts.
Examples: being in a relationship with recipient,
being partially clothed, etc.

21. Things to Consider
• Communication
• How can you communicate with a partner about sexting?
• Relationship Dynamics
• How will this affect my relationship? Benefits? Consequences?
• What happens if the relationship ends?
• Digital/Online Safety and Privacy
• Who am I sexting? Will anyone else see the sext?
• What makes sexting safer? Riskier?
• How does the platform affect how safe or risky it is? Facebook,
SnapChat, Tinder, Grindr, OkCupid, email, text message?

22. Thank You!
Questions?