Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

1-1-2025

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

Advisor

Marcelo Castro

Keywords

Differential Association; Sexting; Sexting Behaviours and Motives Questionnaire; Sexting Motivations

Abstract

Sexting has become an increasingly popular act within the last decade. Young children, teens, and adults may fall into the trap of sexing, whether it is willing or not. Today, communicating with someone is as easy as one click. Most individuals have access to a smartphone, tablet, or computer that enables them to connect with people worldwide. Because of this, sexting participation has been on the rise, and society is beginning to see more of the risks that are associated with the act. The current project dove into young adult women's internal and external motivations and the impact of their decision-making process with sexting participation. The research includes members of a female-only support group on Facebook ranging in age from 18 to 35. The group was created to aid women with issues ranging from mental health, relationship struggles, parenting, and more. Women of all socioeconomic backgrounds, races, ethnicities, and religions are members of the group. A population size of 200 was assembled; 180 were selected for the sample, and 113 participated in the study. Existing sexting literature is beneficial when looking at the prevalence of sexting, but falls short when looking for motivations, specifically within female populations. Past studies tend to focus on young adolescent males and females and the prevalence of sexting, ignoring the reasons why participation happens in the first place. Although the prevalence of sexting throughout research varies, consistency has been found regarding sexting numbers rising with age (Sesar et al., 2019b). It is shown throughout research that sexting participation among older individuals is rising, however, the motivations still remain unclear. It is believed that the current study can help fill gaps in the existing literature and uncover unknown motivations for sexting that may be beneficial in future studies.

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