Different patterns of sexting behaviors were examined to provide a more nuanced understanding of the context in which sexting occurs among adolescents. Participants were 1,000 Canadian adolescents (50.2% girls) between 12 and 18 years (M[subscript age] = 15.21, SD = 2.00) who completed measures of sexting, cyber bullying and victimization,…

Parental relationship histories are associated with adolescents' romantic and sexual relationships. However, no research examines the association between parents' being in an on-again/off-again relationship (churning) and adolescent relationship outcomes, even though a substantial minority of youth experience this form of family instability. Using…

This study investigated the prevalence of receiving sexts among adolescents and its relationship with depressive symptoms and self-esteem. A survey was administered to 728 high school students in Sweden in 2019 and 2020 (50.4% girls and 46.4% boys) using a cross-sectional design. Findings showed that significantly more boys (28.4%) than girls…

Little is known about the implications of cannabis legalization on adolescent health behaviors. This study sought to examine the relationship between recreational cannabis legalization and adolescent sexual risk behaviors. Data on 371,487 respondents who have ever had sexual intercourse from 41 states in the 2005 to 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey…

The aim of this research is to examine associations of adolescent sexting with gender, being in a romantic relationship, and other online or offline sexual behaviors, using the adolescent sexting scale A-SextS as a standardized measure. Data were collected from a sample of 579 Spanish secondary school pupils (47.3% girls), between the ages of 11…

Popular belief holds that sexual behavior is evaluated more liberally for males than females. However, the assessment of this "sexual double standard" is controversial. Therefore, we investigated measurement equivalence of commonly used items to assess sexual double standards in previous research. Based on established measurement…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to obtain youth perspectives on consensual and non-consensual sexting. We began this study on young people's (12-19) sexting practices in a large urban center. Before the study was put on pause due to COVID-19 physical distancing measures, we conducted 12 focus groups with 62 participants (47 girls, 15…

We use the method of situational decomposition in an attempt to identify the causal effect of alcohol intoxication on adolescent sexual intercourse and contraception use. This approach assumes that the relationship between frequency of alcohol intoxication and behavior "while sober" is entirely spurious. With this in mind, the…

This study used the Information Motivation Behavioral (IMB) skills model to examine condom use among rural youth in Edo State, Nigeria. Data were collected from 4,801 youth aged 11 to 17 years attending Junior Secondary Schools. Analysis focused on 1,749 (Male = 1,134, Female = 615) sexually active youth. Random-effects ordinal logit models were…

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) youth experience numerous disparities, including but not limited to access to health care, HIV risk, safety in school, educational opportunities, and family support. Historically, research on this community lumped together LGBQ experiences with experiences of transgender and…

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of a financial inclusion project on youth's sexual risk behaviors and victimization. The project occurred in Ghana, where 100 schools were assigned to either a school-based savings program (SBSP), a marketing campaign, or a control group. Pretest and posttest data were collected in 2011 and…

Gang members are exposed to unique sexual risks, yet little work has explored the influence of gang social norms. This study examines the functions and meanings of sex within gangs, with a specific focus on the ways in which sex is used to reinforce gang membership and norms, gender roles, and group cohesion. We conducted 58 semi-structured…

In Eastern Uganda, 201 adolescents aged 11- to 17-years old (48% girls; M[subscript age] = 14.62) answered close- and open-ended questions about gender stereotypes of domestic and recreational activities and gender-role attitudes about women's behavior, rights, and roles. Adolescents answered questions such as "who is more likely to . .…

Psychosocial risks can negatively affect adolescents' physical, psychological, and social health. Grounded on the cumulative risk theory, the objective of this study was to analyze the differences in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) depending on the accumulation of several psychosocial risks (bullying, cyberbullying, cyberdating abuse,…

Drawing on participatory research in a high school implementing single-sex classes, this article demonstrates how single-sex education masks racialized economic inequality by framing low academic achievement among low-income youth of color as a function of gender, thereby scapegoating girls for a supposed "boy crisis" in education. We…