Gender Differences in Sexting and Its Association with Well-Being and Intimate Partner Violence Victimization from Adolescence to Old Age

Research has shown that sexting is an increasingly common behavior, especially among teens and young adults. However, despite numerous studies, the relevance of sexting to people’s well-being is unclear. The present study seeks to determine the relevance of gender in sexting behavior and its association with psychological well-being and intimate partner violence victimization across the life cycle, from adolescence to old age. This study was cross-sectional, and the sample consisted of 6719 women and men from the general Spanish population who were assessed by six questionnaires measuring sexting behavior, psychological distress, psychological well-being, life satisfaction, self-esteem, and intimate partner violence victimization. The results showed that participation in sexting was higher in men than in women at all stages of the life cycle studied, although the differences were not statistically significant among adolescents. Greater sexting behavior was associated with greater intimate partner violence victimization, an association that was stronger for adolescents. And although the magnitude of the association was small, more sexting was also associated with greater psychological distress and lower psychological well-being in all age groups except older women. Our study results allow us to conclude that sexting behavior may pose risks to the well-being of citizens.