Search

The advent of digital technology and smartphones with internet access has affected many aspects of youth development, including sexual development. One frequently studied type of digital technology use related to young people’s sexual communication is sexting, which is the exchange of sexually explicit content electronically for sexual or romantic purposes. This theoretical review ofresearch, lists and explains commonly studied characteristics ofsexting: nature, determinants, and consequences ofsexting behavior. The consensus was criticalfor nearly all characteristics examined in sexting research. Gaps in existing knowledge and methodology as well as recommendations for future research on youth sexting are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Besides causing serious threats to people's physical health and lives, pandemics can lead to psychological distress. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and mental health among adults in Croatia and its association with sociodemographic factors, perceptions of pandemic, locus of control, coping with stress and perceived social support. A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted using a snowball sampling technique. The online survey collected information on sociodemographics, chronic health conditions, self-isolation measure, perception of COVID-19, mental health status, locus of control, coping with stress and perception of social support. Mental health status was assessed by the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). A total of 1482 participants (252 males and 1230 females) completed the study. The mean age of the participants was 33.3 ± 12.2 years, 43 % of the participants had elevated levels of anxiety and 18 % suffered from severe and extremely severe anxiety, 33 % had elevated levels of depression and 12 % suffered from severe and extremely severe depression, and 55 % had elevated levels of stress with 13 % suffering from severe and extremely severe stress. The strongest predictors of mental health symptoms were coping with stress, locus of control, and perceived social support. These results highlight the necessity of implementing psychological interventions during the pandemic to improve the mental health of the adults and vulnerable groups in particular that should include identified factors associated with better mental health status such as coping with stress focused on problem, social diversion and social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgrounds: Given the negative consequences associated with sexting experiences, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers have called for more thorough research on sexting. Research on sexting behaviour has primarily used quantitative methods. In recent years, mixed methods research has gained prominence in the field of sexting. However, to date, no systematic review of mixed methods studies on sexting has been conducted. The purpose of this article is to review empirical mixed methods studies on sexting. Methods: A thematic synthesis of the qualitative data and a narrative review of the quantitative data were conducted in accordance with standardised templates by study design (PRISMA guidelines). Ten databases were searched and eleven peer-reviewed articles from 2014 to 2022 that met the inclusion criteria were identified. Results: Qualitative and quantitative results were organized into three themes: the nature and extent of sexting, motivation for sexting and the consequences and outcomes of sexting. This mixed-methods systematic review shows that sexting is widespread among youth, there are various reasons for involvement in it and it can have both positive and negative consequences. Conclusion: The results of this study may be helpful to both practitioners working with youth and policy makers to better understand the phenomenon of sexting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Napredak is the property of Croatian Pedagogical-Literary Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Napredak is the property of Croatian Pedagogical-Literary Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)