Hooking-Up, Religiosity, and Sexting Among College Students

• DOI: 10.1007/s10943-016-0291-y
• Publication Date: 2016-07-28T13:02:07Z
• Authors: Michael Hall; Ronald D. Williams; M. Allison Ford; Erin Murphy Cromeans; Randall J. Bergman
• Keywords: Male; Religion and Psychology; Text Messaging; Universities; Sexual Behavior; 05 social sciences; 5. Gender equality; Surveys and Questionnaires; Humans; Female; Spirituality; 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences; Students

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mediation effect of sexting, and taking sexually suggestive photos on religiosity and hooking-up with three separate sexual outcomes. A web-based survey examined the relationship between religiosity and the three hooking-up outcomes among students reporting sexting or taking a sexually suggestive photo in the last 30 days (n = 231). Sexting, as well as taking sexually suggestive photos mediated the relationship between religiosity and hooking-up among females. Sexting may be initiated by females as a way to engage in a nonphysical sexual interaction, which ultimately predisposes them to a physical sexual outcome.