The long-term impact of adolescents' sexual media use on the sexual development during emerging adulthood

This study aims to take an important next step in the research into effects of sexual media content on young people's development. Two adolescent samples that participated in two large-scale panel studies will be recontacted after 5 and 10 years. In 2016, they will have reached emerging adulthood. The original panel studies made considerable contributions to the staple of research that focused on the effects of sexually themed media use on adolescents. However, sexual media effects are not confined to adolescence and examining these kinds of media effects in emerging adulthood is warranted as well. Moreover, literature provides several premises of prolonged media effects as (1) scholars often assume that media effects that occur during adolescence have important consequences in later life and (2) theories on which sexual effects research mostly relies also emphasize a long-term perspective. When considering the above, studies combining these age groups are required but, to our knowledge, non-existent. By conducting a double recontact study, this project aims at understanding the long-term effects, if any, of adolescent exposure to sexual content on emerging adults' sexual risk behaviors, sexual well-being and attitudes towards and involvement in sexually offensive behavior.

Jaar van publicatie:2019

Toegankelijkheid:Closed