Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Jan;37(1):33-6.
doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2013.10.008. Epub 2013 Nov 15.

Brief report: Teen sexting and psychosocial health

Jeff R Temple  1 , Vi Donna Le  2 , Patricia van den Berg  2 , Yan Ling  3 , Jonathan A Paul  2 , Brian W Temple  4
Affiliations

Brief report: Teen sexting and psychosocial health

Jeff R Temple et al. J Adolesc. 2014 Jan.

Abstract

The current study examines whether adolescents who report sexting exhibit more psychosocial health problems, compared to their non-sexting counterparts. Participants included 937 ethnically diverse male and female adolescents recruited and assessed from multiple high schools in southeast Texas. Measures included self-report of sexting, impulsivity, alcohol and drug use, and depression and anxiety symptoms. Teen sexting was significantly associated with symptoms of depression, impulsivity, and substance use. When adjusted for prior sexual behavior, age, gender, race/ethnicity, and parent education, sexting was only related to impulsivity and substance use. While teen sexting appears to correlate with impulsive and high-risk behaviors (substance use), we did not find sexting to be a marker of mental health.

Keywords: Adolescents; Impulsivity; Mental health; Substance use; Teen sexting.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None

References

    1. Andresen EM, Malmgren JA, Carter WB, Patrick DL. Screening for depression in well older adults: Evaluation of a short form of the CES-D. American Journal of Preventative Medicine. 1994;10:77–84. - PubMed
    1. Benotsch EG, Snipes DJ, Martin AM, Bull SS. Sexting, substance use, and sexual risk behavior in young adults. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2013;52:307–313. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Birmaher B, Khetarpal S, Brent D, Cully M, Balach L, Kaufman J, Neer SM. The screen for child anxiety related emotional disorders (SCARED): Scale construction and psychometric characteristics. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 1997;36:545–553. - PubMed
    1. Bosworth K, Espelage G. Teen conflict survey. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Center for Adolescent Studies; 1995.
    1. Dowdell EB, Burgess AW, Flores JR. Original research: Online social networking patterns among adolescents, young adults, and sexual offenders. American Journal of Nursing. 2011;111:28–36. - PubMed

Publication types