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Exploring Sexting and Online Sexual Victimization during the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown

Author

Listed:
  • Aina M. Gassó

    (School of Law, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, 08017 Barcelona, Spain)

  • Katrin Mueller-Johnson

    (Centre for Criminology, Oxford University, Oxford OX1 2JD, UK)

  • José R. Agustina

    (School of Law, Universitat Abat Oliba CEU, 08017 Barcelona, Spain)

  • Esperanza L. Gómez-Durán

    (School of Medicine, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, 08017 Barcelona, Spain)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown has impacted daily routines, forcing people to stop socializing in person and changing the way people express their feelings and their romantic or sexual interactions. Social distancing has changed the way people behave online, and we expect that engagement in sexting and online sexual victimization behaviors have increased during lockdown. The aim of this paper is to study the prevalence of sexting and online sexual victimization behaviors during the COVID-19 lockdown in Spanish adults in order to explore how social distancing has affected these behaviors. The sample comprised 293 Spanish adults (mean age = 30.3; 66.2% female) who took part in an online survey about their engagement in sexting behaviors and online sexual victimization experiences. Overall results were apparently not supportive of our main hypothesis, showing that both sexting engagement and online sexual victimization decreased during lockdown despite the increase in internet use. Apart from differences in time period of reference, some alternative hypotheses relate to the increased presence of capable guardians according to the routine activities theory and to forced distance as a demotivation to sext. Possible explanations and hypotheses for these results are discussed further in the paper.

Suggested Citation

  • Aina M. Gassó & Katrin Mueller-Johnson & José R. Agustina & Esperanza L. Gómez-Durán, 2021. "Exploring Sexting and Online Sexual Victimization during the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-9, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:12:p:6662-:d:578931
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Aina M. Gassó & Katrin Mueller-Johnson & Irene Montiel, 2020. "Sexting, Online Sexual Victimization, and Psychopathology Correlates by Sex: Depression, Anxiety, and Global Psychopathology," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-18, February.
    2. Hodgkinson, Tarah & Andresen, Martin A., 2020. "Show me a man or a woman alone and I'll show you a saint: Changes in the frequency of criminal incidents during the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
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    Cited by:

    1. Catarina Almeida, Telma & Barreiros, Inês, 2024. "Online grooming among Portuguese adolescents and the COVID-19 lockdown: Relationship with other types of victimization," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    2. Esperanza L. Gómez-Durán & Carles Martin Fumadó & Aina M. Gassó & Sandra Díaz & Andrea Miranda-Mendizabal & Carlos G. Forero & Montserrat Virumbrales, 2022. "COVID-19 Pandemic Psychological Impact and Volunteering Experience Perceptions of Medical Students after 2 Years," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-12, June.

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