Research Joris Van Ouytsel

Abstract

Sexting can be defined as the exchange of self-made sexual explicit images through the internet and the mobile phone. It is a normal part of sexual communication. However, sexting can be regarded a public health issue, given its associations with several risks, including pressure, unwanted distribution, experiences of extortion, and forms of sexual coercion. Whereas prior research has already investigated these risky forms of sexting among adolescents and college students, research on adults' sexting experiences is only at its infancy. The purpose of the proposed project is to begin to address this crucial gap in our knowledge on sexting among a representative sample of the general adult population, who may not be immune for sexting-related risks. The proposed project aims to gain an in-depth understanding of sexting behavior among the general adult population by studying the sexting prevalence, (health) correlates, social context, and how adults perceive sexting-related risks using a theory-based survey among a representative sample of 2500 Flemish adults. The survey consists of two parts: 1) a classic survey component and 2) a vignette-study component. The survey component examines the associations of adult sexting on the individual, interpersonal, and community/societal level. The vignette study aims to investigate adults' risk perceptions about several sexting contexts. The proposed project will pave the way for a new line of research and will have strong implications for practice.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Ouytsel Joris

Research team(s)

• Media, ICT and interpersonal relations in Organisations and Society (MIOS)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This study is an extension of my postdoctoral project and aims to investigate two digital public health risks for youth: 1) cyber dating abuse and 2) sexting. Cyber dating abuse is the controlling, stalking and harassing of a romantic partner through digital media. Sexting is the exchange of sexually explicit pictures. Large scale survey research is needed to gain a better theoretical understanding of these behaviors. For this project we will conduct a large-scale qualitative and quantitative study on cyber dating abuse and sexting. The data provide invaluable insights for the prevention of these digital forms of violence among sexual minority youth and for the development of age-appropriate educational efforts.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Ouytsel Joris

Research team(s)

• Media, ICT and interpersonal relations in Organisations and Society (MIOS)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Research Award by awarded by the Research Council of the University of Antwerp. The award will be used to strengthen my research program in the area of sexting and digital forms of dating violence in adolescent as well as in (young) adult populations.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Ouytsel Joris

Research team(s)

• Media, ICT and interpersonal relations in Organisations and Society (MIOS)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The electronic delivery of both psychological and sexual forms of dating violence is called cyber dating abuse. Psychological forms of cyber dating abuse include monitoring the romantic partner through digital media (e.g., accessing accounts without permission), whereas sexual forms include mainly sexting under pressure. To date, little scholarly attention has been paid to cyber dating abuse in early adolescents' romantic relationships. Research among this age group is essential as teenagers who experiment with sexual behaviors, or initiate their first romantic relationships during this developmental period, are often at high risk of abuse. This project aims to gain a deeper understanding of the context in which cyber dating abuse takes place among early adolescents, using a qualitative as well as a quantitative approach.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Walrave Michel
• Fellow: Van Ouytsel Joris

Research team(s)

• Media, ICT and interpersonal relations in Organisations and Society (MIOS)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Sexting can be defined as the sending of self-made sexually explicit pictures. Sexting is a normal part of adolescents' development. Given the risk for reputational damage and the associations with other risk behaviors for those that engage in the behavior, it remains, however, also an important public health issue. More research remains needed to minimize the potential risks of youth sexting. Current research on sexting has suffered from three major limitations. First, almost all studies employ a cross-sectional design. Second, there is hardly any research on the sexting experiences of young adolescents (10-15 year olds), as most research focuses on older adolescents (16-18 years old) or college students. Especially these younger adolescents could be more vulnerable for the negative consequences of sexting. Third, the current research has mainly focused on the sending of sexting images. There is a lack of research that focuses on the motives and characteristics of youth who pressure others to engage in sexting, or those who engage in the non-consensual sharing of sexting pictures (so-called 'secondary sexting'). The purpose of the proposed project is to address these three crucial gaps in our current knowledge on sexting by gaining an in-depth understanding of sexting among younger groups of adolescents (10-15 years old), using a longitudinal and a mixed-methods design. Within this project, we will specifically focus on the characteristics of youth who pressure others to engage in sexting and those who engage in the unauthorized distribution of sexting pictures. The project will comprise of a qualitative investigation of young adolescents' perceptions on sexting. This will form the basis of a three-wave longitudinal survey in which demographic, personality and social characteristics of sexting among young adolescents and problematic forms of sexting will be investigated. The survey design will be guided by the Social Learning Theory and General Strain Theory. The results of this research will provide new insights on how to prevent and address problematic forms of sexting among a vulnerable age group.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Ouytsel Joris

Research team(s)

• Media, ICT and interpersonal relations in Organisations and Society (MIOS)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Digital technologies have opened up new avenues for perpetrators of teen dating violence to harm, control, stalk or harass their partners. To date, research on the recent phenomenon of adolescent cyber dating abuse has been mainly descriptive in nature and focuses on the link with negative health outcomes and other risk behaviors among victims. Little is known about the antecedents of cyber dating abuse perpetration. In order to design effective prevention strategies, however, research should focus on perpetration and apply complementary theoretical perspectives. This will allow us to compare the predictive power of the various frameworks and to provide educators with information on how to tailor their prevention efforts effectively to the main facilitators of cyber dating abuse perpetration.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Walrave Michel
• Co-promoter: Ponnet Koen
• Fellow: Van Ouytsel Joris

Research team(s)

• Media, ICT and interpersonal relations in Organisations and Society (MIOS)

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Digital technologies have opened up new avenues for perpetrators of teen dating violence to harm, control, stalk or harass their partners. To date, research on the recent phenomenon of adolescent cyber dating abuse has been mainly descriptive in nature and focuses on the link with negative health outcomes and other risk behaviors among victims. Little is known about the antecedents of cyber dating abuse perpetration. In order to design effective prevention strategies, however, research should focus on perpetration and apply complementary theoretical perspectives. This will allow us to compare the predictive power of the various frameworks and to provide educators with information on how to tailor their prevention efforts effectively to the main facilitators of cyber dating abuse perpetration.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Walrave Michel
• Co-promoter: Ponnet Koen
• Fellow: Van Ouytsel Joris

Research team(s)

• Media, ICT and interpersonal relations in Organisations and Society (MIOS)

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The use of social network sites (SNS) has rapidly increased over the past decade. As these sites revolve around the disclosure of personal information, scholars have critically discussed the possible implications of online self-disclosure, especially for adolescents. However, studies on SNS data disclosure are limited in three ways that inspired the project's objectives. First, most studies focus on data provided in online profiles and how profile privacy settings are used. Revealing personal information while using SNS has been less investigated. Therefore, the present project will contribute to the literature by analyzing predictors and consequences of self-disclosure of adolescents while using SNS. Furthermore, the project will investigate youngsters' protective behaviors when self-disclosing. Second, most studies take a data-driven perspective and lack a theoretical angle. Consequently, the second objective of the project is theory driven. Adolescents' self-disclosures will be investigated by applying an extended model based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. The Protection Motivation Theory will be applied to investigate users' awareness and experience of risks related to self-disclosure and how this motivates protective behaviors. Finally, most studies adopt a cross-sectional design. Therefore, the third objective of the project is to adopt a longitudinal approach to analyze how adolescents' behavior evolves after experiencing specific outcomes of self-disclosure.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Walrave Michel
• Co-promoter: Ponnet Koen
• Fellow: Van Ouytsel Joris

Research team(s)

• Media, ICT and interpersonal relations in Organisations and Society (MIOS)

Project type(s)

• Research Project