Online, Offline, and Over the Line: Coercive Sexting Among Adolescent Dating Partners. Issue 7 (October 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kernsmith, Poco D.; Victor, Bryan G.; Smith-Darden, Joanne P.
• Is Part Of: Youth & society. Volume 50:Issue 7(2018)
• Page Start: 891
• Page End: 904
• Publication Date: 2018-10
• Subjects: dating violence -- intimate relationships -- sexual behavior/risk -- technology -- victimization; Youth -- Periodicals; 305.235
• DOI: 10.1177/0044118X18764040
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0044-118X

Abstract

This study examines the incidence and correlates of coercive sexting by dating partners among middle and high school students, including sex-based differences and associations with other forms of sexual coercion. Survey data from a study of protective factors for teen dating violence in middle and high school students were examined ( N = 1, 236). Of youth who reported at least one dating or sexual partner in the past 12 months, 12% reported coercive sexting victimization and 8% acknowledged pressuring a partner to sext. Other forms of sexual coercion including the use of threats and insistence on sex without a condom were significantly associated with perpetration and victimization of coercive sexting. Coercive sexting was notably more prevalent in the high school cohort, with boys significantly more likely to pressure a partner than girls. The strong association with other forms of sexual coercion suggests a potential link to broader patterns of teen dating violence.