engleski

Motivations underlying sexting attitudes: Qualitative approach

Qualitative research on sexting is not at all rare internationally (for an overview, see Doyle et al., 2021). Despite this steady increase in qualitative international research, qualitative studies examining the phenomenon of sexting in non-Western, traditional cultural contexts are rare. This study aims to qualitatively examine sexting in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as both are post-war countries that share similar cultural values, but also differences that may be evident in sexting behaviour. Participants were 57 high school students (aged 15-19) from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia who participated in the six online focus group discussions, with each group consisting of six to twelve participants. Participants responded to five written vignettes describing sexting practices. The five vignettes about sexting were composed of five types of sexting experiences: (1) sexting under intimate partner pressure, (2) consensual sexting with intimate partner, (3) revenge sexting, (4) sexting under peer pressure, and (5) sexting to flirt with another person. Students gave their opinions on the vignettes presented. Sexting with the motive of partner revenge and peer or partner pressure was perceived negatively by participants, while sexting for the purpose of maintaining an intimate relationship was viewed positively. Sexting for the purpose of flirting was mostly perceived negatively or neutrally, in terms of making one's own choices. Overall, the qualitative study based on the vignette suggests that non- consensual forms of sexting are viewed as negative behavior in both cultural contexts, while consensual sexting with a trusted person is viewed as positive behavior.

high school students ; sexting motivation ; qualitative approach

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