Abstract
Introduction
Several studies investigated the relationship between personality traits and sexting behaviors using the Five Factors Model and the HEXACO six-factor personality model. To our knowledge, no study has investigated the relation between trait emotional intelligence and sexting. Therefore, the present study examined the associations between the four factors of trait emotional intelligence (i.e., well-being, self-control, emotionality, and sociability) and different forms of sexting (experimental sexting, non-consensual sexting, sexting under pressure, and risky sexting) in a sample of Italian adolescents.
Methods
A convenience group of 760 high school students aged 14 to 19 years (Mage = 16.76, SDage = 1.56; 52.6% females) completed an anonymous self-report questionnaire between January and June 2021, and data were analyzed through logistic regression analyses.
Results
The main results showed that (1) lower emotionality was related to higher involvement in non-consensual sexting, sexting under pressure, and risky sexting; (2) higher sociability was related to higher involvement in experimental, non-consensual, and risky sexting; (3) lower self-control was related to higher involvement in experimental sexting; and (4) well-being was unrelated to sexting.
Conclusions
This study expands knowledge about the relationships between personality and sexting, examining the role of specific dimensions of trait emotional intelligence and various forms of sexting.
Policy Implications
The study suggests that fostering the ability to express and understand emotions should be the focus of preventive interventions targeting adolescents to contrast aggravated and risky sexting.
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Availability of Data and Material
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Code Availability
Not applicable.
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MM and EC contributed equally to this paper; MM conceived of the study, participated in its conceptualization and project administration, drafted the manuscript, and approved the final manuscript; EC conceived of the study, participated in its conceptualization and project administration, drafted the manuscript, and approved the final manuscript; RB participated in the conceptualization and supervision of the study, performed the measurement, and critically revised and approved the final manuscript; AC participated in the conceptualization and project administration of the study, supervised the methodology, performed the statistical analysis, and critically revised and approved the final manuscript; GC participated in the conceptualization, performed the measurement, and critically revised and approved the final manuscript; MRN helped to data collection and curation, drafted the manuscript, and approved the final manuscript; EL participated in the conceptualization and critically revised and approved the final manuscript; and FG participated in the conceptualization and interpretation of the data, drafted the manuscript, and approved the final manuscript.
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This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of the Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome (Prot. n. 0000591, April 11, 2022). Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Written informed consent was obtained from the parents of underage students.
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Morelli, M., Cattelino, E., Baiocco, R. et al. The Relationship Between Trait Emotional Intelligence and Sexting in Adolescence. Sex Res Soc Policy (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-023-00913-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-023-00913-0